So many things have been happening these last few weeks! I recently came back from a business trip for class to Belgium and then went of a city hopping tour to Portugal, hitting Marseille, Porto, and Lisbon in a five day span! 

With the business trip, we stopped by one of the largest ports--Port of Antwerp and the European Commission. Overall the trip was quick with way to much driving (minimum about 4 hours a day), but informative in seeing how another country is. 

These last two pictures are from the Port of Antwerp's training center for interns and students. Mahar (above and Tomine (below) are in the front end of a truck used to transport the logs from the port. 

The infamous statue of Belgium. It was not as exciting as you might think, it was simply placed on a small street corner.  

Now for Portugal!! This was a very fast pasted trip and I would recommend doing something similar if you are to ever spend a significant time in Europe. Quick and easy travel is common in Europe, where they have a multitude of cheap travel options--some of which include: Easyjet, Ryanair (cheapest option usually), MegaBus, Blah Blah Car (this is really nice!), and the trains if you book early enough. 

Portugal was a beautiful country and just what was needed for a group of college students missing the sun. The country has a large range of cultural foods and costs are low so everyone is able to try the traditions. 

The sidewalks are all stone bricks and very slippery. Also, according to a tour guide they are from the roman era!

This was the port of Marseilles.  

This church, like many in Porto, is covered with thousands of tiles and was right around the corner of where we were staying! 

Look at the sun and coast!!

This was a small town near Lisbon and it was a great day trip to make. We were able to stop by an incredible mansion and in the area there were also multiple castles. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name of the town...it started with an S.... 

These were both wonderful trips and I will soon be off to my final one in Germany! This semester has been a wonderful experience, but I look forward to getting back home!!