May 14th - The day we've all been waiting for, through the semester, and definitely through finals, finally arrived. Some of us met at the ACES library, said goodbye to friends who kindly sent us off on the trip, and set off for Chicago O'hare International Airport. There we met with the rest of the class. After the boarding process and two hours of airport delay, we finally took off and began our eight-hour flight to Brussels, Belgium.

Upon landing safely, we quickly collected our baggage, exchanged currency, and boarded the bus for a 20-minute ride to the Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe. After a scenic bus ride, we wheeled our suitcases noisily through the cobblestoned streets and were warmly greeted in the lobby. Many of us were very pleasantly surprised that our rooms were very spacious and well-furnished. Some of us even have two-story lofts with the top floor just like a cozy attic!

However, we did not have much time to enjoy our rooms because we had a tight deadline to meet in the lobby downstairs for our very first activity of the trip - a walking tour of the historic city of Leuven (or Louvain). We met Professor Dr. Piet Sercu, a Professor of Economics and Finance here at the Irish College, in the old market square and he joined us on our tour.  For the next two hours we meandered through the historical streets of the city. Our tour guide for the afternoon spoke as we were walking through the famous Gothic Town Hall, visiting the Sint-Pieterskert (St. Peter's Church), the Begijnhof, an old nunnery, and we even got to visit many campus buildings, learning a ton of history about the city.  The campus seemed very quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of the Champaign-Urbana area, but we learned that most Leuvenian students go home on the weekends.  Sometimes, our path had to be diverted due to a triathlon that was taking place right in the middle of the city!

After our tour, we had some free time on our own. While some of us grabbed the opportunity for a quick and restful afternoon nap to recharge for the rest of the evening, some of us went off for a quick snack bite at a nearby eatery.  We then met for a quick run-down of the weeks events and then enjoyed a very nice dinner in the Leuven Institute café where we had wonderful soup with bread, and a main course of either puff pastry with chicken gravy, or pasta with salmon. It was an evening that definitely filled our empty stomachs!