Brussels trip part 1
After finally arriving at our youth hostel late on Monday evening after a long journey, we set off early on Tuesday to explore Brussels' European Quarter.
First we went to the Parlamentarium. This was an interactive museum in which the structure, tasks and history of the EU were presented in a vivid way. In the first room, a few basic facts about the EU were explained, especially regarding its members and composition. Then we walked through a gallery showing the history of the EU and its member states, as well as the gradual enlargement of the EU as more countries joined. The next part was about the composition of the European Parliament, the parties that are represented there and you could find out about the current members of parliament and their tasks. In a separate room, short videos showed the personal stories of various people from the EU countries and how cooperation in the EU has influenced their lives. At the end, you could give feedback on what you particularly like about the EU, what could be done better and what you can achieve by working together in the EU.
After visiting the Parlamentarium, we had a short lunch break, during which we were able to look around the district individually and had to take care of lunch. Afterwards, we went straight to the European Parliament. There we were first welcomed in a conference room by a member of staff from the Green Party, who first gave us a brief insight into the tasks and procedures in the Parliament and then answered our questions. In the meantime, Green Party MP Daniel Freund stopped by and asked us about his work in parliament and current projects. Afterwards, we were able to visit the plenary chamber briefly and get an impression of how a plenary session works.
For a change, our group then went to a chocolate tasting at Mike&Becky. The owners told us a lot about how chocolate is made and about their personal experience in the chocolate business, and we were also given a few small samples. In the evening, we had more free time in the city, where we visited the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, the Grand Place and the Manneken Pis, a famous landmark of Brussels. Afterwards, some of us had Belgian fries or a Belgian waffle and then we took the bus back to the hotel, which was the end of the first day.
Text | Photos: S. Greschuchna
