Our final day in Europe began with the luxury of being able to sleep in. In the late morning hours, we were able to take a tour of the Stella Artois Brewery which sits on the outskirts of Leuven, Belgium. We learned that Stella Artois, with the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch eight years ago, is the largest brewery in the world with an approximate market share in the beer industry of 25%.  The tour provided insight into the entire process from the unloading of the ingredients to the finished product.  Post tour, we were treated to a complementary glass of Stella and also had a chance to purchase Stella Artois souvenirs; Dads get excited because many of you are getting some great presents!

After leaving Stella, the group was treated to delicious sandwiches courtesy of the college, KU Leuven, and Professor Piet Sercu once again.  After devouring our lunch, we were given a historic tour of Leuven and some of its city colleges (the city has over 40 colleges!)  Our guide, Piet, was able to provide the group with valuable information, and as a result the group left the tour with a much better understanding of Leuven’s historical importance.

We finished our last day in Europe back in the Belgium and European Union capital city of Brussels. While some of us opted to shop in the city center right away, a majority of the group enjoyed a guided tour of a traditional Belgian chocolate factory where we learned the process of making chocolate. We were also fortunate enough to try a few of the varieties of chocolate in the factory. Afterwards, we all split up and enjoyed a culmination of different last minute activities such as shopping, site seeing, and eating Belgian waffles to finish out our final day in Europe.

Finally, we concluded by heading to the airport hotel where we said goodbye to our awesome bus driver, Rene, and had a relaxing evening in the hotel.  It’s bittersweet to go home, but many of us are leaving with life-changing experiences and memories in our back pocket for years to come.  We will always remember and cherish this amazing experience! #ibip! #acesstudyabroad