As promised, my last post about my Erasmus talks about stuff to do in Leuven. If there is something that I liked about the city it’s that, even if small, there was always something to do, and places to see, and well, you could never get bored.
First and foremost, there’s the Oude Market – as many bars as you can count, but you will probably lose your counting abilities if you try them all at once. However, together they get the title of “Longest Bar in Europe”, so that’ something you have to try.
They also take huge pride in their beers, so if you are a beer lover, you shall visit their Stella Artois factory that is also in Leuven. Giving that I am a lady and I am not really a fan of beers, I usually seek for flavoured beers instead, and so I came to find the Kriek, and ever since I found it, was the only type of beer that I chose whenever there was no wine. It has a really nice cherry flavour, so if you are into that, I would recommend you to try it. If not, I am sure you will find something that you like, there are hundreds…
But let’s make this clear, beer is not the first thing that I looked for when I was in Leuven, it was chocolate…or waffles? Knowing myself, I think both. For chocolate, there is a cute, little Leonidas on the main street into the center that gives you the chance to pick & mix pralines, and while you are walking through the city, you will find a few more chocolate shops.
Still, THE BEST PLACE FOR CHOCOLATE EVER, is Quetzal, the Chocoate Cafe, where I had the most delicious brownie, with melted dark chocolate. I am still nostalgic for it. You could choose from dark to milk or white chocolate, or you could have the mother of all brownies – one with 4 types of chocolate. I know, right?
For waffles, Pinnochio was the place to be – I would always go for a chocolate waffle, but they also have simple ones, caramel, ice cream ones, etc. And they were really cheap too!! And after travelling to Belgium, I came to the conclusion that they were the best I have tasted, so they are worth a try out.
Also, there is an ice cream shop on a boat, a walk away from the centre, so if the weather’s nice, it’s hot outside, and you feel like taking a walk, definitely try it out!
The city is also filled with restaurants and cute places for lunch/dinner, from Italian to Chinese, you can find everything and they all taste delicious!
So, yes, I am a foodie, and my “What to do in Leuven” list mostly talks about food. Well, you’re welcome!
Apart from that, there is an ice rink close to the city, a bowling place in the city and a theme park at a distance of 20 minutes by train. And so is Brussels. So, plenty to do!
All in all, it was a great city, and it was great getting to know it with my Erasmus family. I cannot wait for our reunion and to try all these things again!
As all good things come to an end, so did my Erasmus and so did the posts related, so this was the last one! Hope you enjoyed it and let me know in the comments if I missed something or if you tried any of these things that I mentioned! I leave you with a few pictures that I snapped while strolling through the city including mypretty top floor view!
Have a great, inspired week, D.
