Chocolate Factory & Luxembourg

The most significant things I've done since last weekend (outside of eating) were to visit a CHOCOLATE factory and travel to Luxembourg!!

The chocolate factory was so cute!

Here's all the chocolate bars traveling around and getting packaged.

I don't know if you can see it but in this pic, the cute lil choocolate boxes are going up a steep hill!

Factory shop, most things are for a pretty low price:

So I bought 25.50E worth.

Here it is more spread out:

The big white and milk chocolate bags are both kilo sized, both 3E!!! Everyone was like wow you bought a lot of stuff. I had to take advantage of the good prices! Since then, I've only bought 1 chocolate bar and 2 marzipan bars (only .75 E each in Luxembourg!)

No pics of Luxembourg yet, I haven't uploaded them. Btw, my camera is super crappy! It's one I borrowed from my parents but to take a picture of anything I have to scoot back VERY far to get it all in, way farther than Stephanie's camera. And hers has a beautifying feature that gets rid of pimples lol.

Part 1 of Luxembourg - Getting there

When we arrive at the train station, I am asked for the confirmation code to retrieve our tickets. Uhhh I was supposed to actually read that confirmation e-mail?! Oops. We frantically run around trying to find WiFi for Steph's phone. Eventually we find out it only works right outside the station, not inside, not in the nearby panini chain shop. This is after I have asked numerous people inside said shop if they have smartphones. [Ed. note: from what I've seen, people in Europe generally do not. For such a sophisticated society their use of available technology does not seem properly utilised to the max. I don't know why this is. Maybe because everyone likes the old school ways?] One random lady said something to me when I asked someone else and so I went over to pester her but then realised she looked kinda crazy and poor and definitely did NOT have internet on her phone. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't have a mobile period.

Part 2 - The hostel

After walking down a beast hill, we arrive at the hostel. Later I find out this is probably the best hostel in Europe that you can get for 20E a night. There are ping-pong tables outside and lots of comfy chairs. Everything looks super modern. Sheets are GORGEOUS compared to my dorm, and more comfortable as well. 6 people per room, all girls, everyone in our room was quiet and kind.

You can get all you can eat of 2 types of soup and bread for 2E, and for 3 more the salad bar is included as well. Breakfast is included, there is an assortment of bread, 2 types of meat cold cuts, cheese, butter, yogurt and granola with chocolate bits, jelly, applesauce, nutella on Saturday, corn flakes and milk, and hot chocolate.

Lots of cutie little kids running around. Very little first night, rather older the second (middle school?) including this one couple where the guy was up to the girls shoulder maybe? I was very flabbergasted to see them making out in a bed in the morning when I was walking to the bathroom.

Met a girl at breakfast from Hendricks who was all alone so we adopted her for a day. Met an out-of-work Italian banker and a disgruntled American soldier, a gorgeous Canadian who is taking half a year off to backpack in Europe to rethink her major, and a girl who lives 20 mins from the hospital I was in this February.

Part 3 - What we saw

Luxembourg is so beautiful! Visited some museums. An old man tried to talk Stephanie to death at a photo gallery, he was sooo bored. Oh yeah, lots of little galleries around Luxembourg, everywhere. Went to Sat morning market, gorged myself on cheese samples. Bought plum tart and other unnecessary food.

There was a park in one of the valleys, saw the business district where there were many skateboarders but no one else (it was Saturday). There was a cute smallish palace type place with a soldier outside.

One place had ice cream for only 1E!!! Cheapest I've seen so far. I want ice cream spaghetti!!! They run the ice cream through a noodle making machine and then put strawberry sauce and then white chocolate bits so it looks like a pasta dish! Sounds SO MAGICAL.

Part 4

Other food. Bought some spreadable cheese that is supposed to be a Luxembourgish thing. You're supposed to eat it spread with mustard on country bread so I got some mustard too (for the first time in my life) but it's not THAT good...maybe if it were country bread it would be automatically better? Bought these adorable strawberries, little, perfect looking and sweet. Bought this ripoff crepe that was tiny!! But it was at the fair. Oh yeah the fair!! Talked to the nutrition stand man for at least half an hour, asking all my nutritional questions. I think I need to do a minor in nutrition.

Part 5 - The way back

Me and Stephanie talked, a lot. And I ate too. (chocolate, chocolate covered marzipan, salad, sandwich) =P Then we are 1 stop away from Leuven when the train stops moving because of some random accident emergency. All in all, we are delayed 1hr16.

Get home and eat. :) Alles goed! (it's all good)

Other:

My roommate is back with her stolen Oktoberfest mug, no more single :( The heat finally came on! But now the hall seems like it is FREEZING! Saw a huuuuge rainbow today and then right after it became a double rainbow.

School starts on Tuesday. There's like 9 classes that I want to check out, only 3 or 4 of which I can take. =O Who will win??