Enjoy your meal !

Today, I'm going to give you a mouth-watering experience ! I decided to build a one-day menu that would be typical for us, Belgian people.
After the heavy meals of Christmas, I hope you'll still be hungry enough and be able to appreciate my              " Flemish Carbonnate" as the main dish, and the "Belgian Waffles" as the dessert.

Are you ready? If yes, let's get it started !!!!

1) The Flemish Carbonnade: 4 people, preparation 45 min, cooking 2h30

Ingredients, you will need:
1 kg of beef, 4 onions, 1 tin of mushrooms, 1 liter of Leffe (Belgian beer), one tablespoon of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of mustard, 2 big slices of country bread, 4 tablespoons of sunflower oil

 Preparation:
1) Cut the beef in cubes. Peel and mince the onions. Clean the mushrooms.
2) Put in a pan the oil and fry the cubes of beefs for 2 minutes. In another pan, heat the oil and stir in the chopped onions.
3)Put the country bread spread with mustard in the bottom of a saucepan and put on top the beef and the onions. Pour the beer then 30 cl of water.
4)Salt and pepper.
5) Sprinkled with brown sugar and let it simmer gently for 2h30 minutes.
6) At the end of the cooking, put the mushrooms without stirring the preparation.

2) The Belgian Waffles (from Brussels)

Ingredients: 125gr flour, 250 ml milk, 10gr sugar, 100 gr melted butter, 4 eggs, 10gr salt, 50gr icing sugar

Preparation:

1) Boil 25 cl milk and let it cool afterwards.
2) In a salad bowl, put 125gr flour and mix it with 4 egg yolks, a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar.
3) Dilute the milk and then the 100 gr of melted butter.
4) Mix everything together into a smooth mixture and add delicately the beaten egg whites.
5) Heat the waffle machine and butter it.
6) Pour the waffles batter in the machine and let it cook until the waffles are brown on the top.
7)Finally, sprinkle with icing sugar.

BON APPETIT !!!                                                                ENJOY... 

The Red devils : our national pride

Have you ever heard of the Red devils ? According to you, what could it be? Take some time to think about it ;)

Here is a brief explanation. The Red devils is the name given to the Belgian  national soccer team.They are also called " les diables rouges" in French. This team is composed of 21 players. Half of them come from the French part and the other half from the Flemish part.

Our national soccer team has not always been good but last October,the Red devils qualified for the World Championship that takes place in Brazil in 2014.


But why are the Red devils our national pride?

It should be remembered that the relationships between the French part, the Flemish part and Brussels have not always been easy. Strong political tensions recurred for a long time in Belgium, we didn't have any government for 18 months during the crisis of 2010-2011. Many negociations had to be done and the disagreements between those 2 parts of Belgium grew stronger and stronger throughout the years.  We even thought that Belgium would be soon separated, the French part associated to France and the Flemish part to the Netherlands.

BUT the tensions have subsided and a consensus was finally found between the different political parties. The victory of the national team contributed to strenghten the feeling of belonging and unity of the Belgian people and for most of us we are proud to be Belgian.

Picture of my friends and I in Brussels next to the Roi Baudouin Stadium, ready for one of the World cup game, dressed up with our colours Black, yellow and red and drinking our most famous beer   "Jupiler".

YOUPOST 4

Hello Guys,

How are you doing today?

Are you ready to travel a bit more with me ?

Today, I'm going to talk about Budapest. I was there from December 20th till December 22th and I had a wonderful time. I would really advise you to go visit this city.

We travelled from Vienna with my boyfriend and we took a bus of the Orangeways company. It is way cheaper than the train and you arrive in the center of the city after only 2 hours and half. Don't forget to exchange your money when you get there, Hungarian people still don't use Euro.



There are some beautiful places to visit there. Between the splendid Hungarian Parliament, the royal palace, St. Stephen's basilica, the Chain Bridge, you have a lot to discover. I would recommend you the free walking tour that takes place every day at 10.30am. A Hungarian guy will explain to you what is so typical about the city, you'll go inside some of the famous buildings, you'll get to know the history of BUDA and PEST, and even know some funny stories about the city.

After the walking tour, you can't miss the famous baths of the city. I've been to the Széchenyi bath. It is unbelievable, the perfect place to be when it's winter time and you want some relaxation! Funny story: you can even play chess in the water!


Night time is also great in Budapest! The Hungarian pubs are cheap and full of students wanting to party with you! You must try "Palinka", it's the traditional Hungarian drink ( fruit brandy). But pay attention, it is strong alcohol, you might not drink too much!

Budapest is a great city and affordable for students! So go ahead and ENJOY :)

YOUPOST 3

Are you ready to explore the American West with me? 

Last week, I booked a wonderful trip in the United States with my brother! It's going to be a lifetime memory. We will be travelling for 2 weeks from April 25th till May 9th throughout all the American West. It seems to be the best moment to travel because the weather is nice and not too warm!  

We went to a famous travel agency " Connection" in Belgium and we found great deals over there. My brother being more than 26, we decided to rent a camping car for two weeks. We wanted a trip full of adventures and beautiful sceneries. We will cross five different States: California, Nevada,Utah, Arizona and Wyoming. Landing in San Francisco, we will stay there for 3 nights. We will have the chance to walk through the Fisherman’s Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Union Square or even discover Chinatown. After that, we will go to Las Vegas for 2 nights. I'm really excited to see this supernatural city, be able to gamble in the casinos and go out with my brother till the end of the night. Afterwards, we will drive till Salt lake city for 1 night to arrive the day after in Yellowstone for 2 nights. I have never been to Wyoming, it's a new State to discover. It's also the oldest National Park of the world. Monument Valley will be the next stop for 2 nights. When I was younger, I always watched western films with my family. A great deal of  movies have the Monument Valley as backgrounds. We will then have 4 nights left: we will spend 2 nights in Lake Powell, 1 night in Grand Canyon and finally 1 night in Phoenix to end our beautiful trip.

Costs :

1) Flights (Lufthansa): Brussels--> San Francisco ( with one stop in Frankfurt)

            Phoenix--> Brussels ( with one stop in Frankfurt)

Cost per person: 885 euros per person

2) Camping car ( 2 persons) + fuel+ several camping places

Connection booked a camping car with Authentik USA , departure San Francisco- Arrival San Francisco

Cost:

a) Camping car for 2 weeks ( with the special promotion) + fuel ( around 4000 kms)+ insurance+ free gps: +/- 1460 euros ( for 2 people)

b) Camping: Only 5 nights in a camping, there are many possibilities to park for free ( Walmart for example).

There is a small fee because we drop the camping car in Phoenix and not in San Francisco

All: +/- 1700 euros for 2 people = 850 euros per person

3)Activities:

A) San Francisco, California

 Alcatraz Island cruise and tour : a visit of one of the most famous Prison islands of the world. You will start the tour with a boat tour to reach the island. Then, you will have a visit of the prison.

Price : 35 euros/person

B) Antelope canyon, Arizona (Near Lake Powell)

Antelope canyon: You can visit the slot canyon sections, created by the wind, water and sand. It is possible to rent a jeep car to reach the canyon. Once you are there, you can walk inside along the high walls (40 meters). Around Midday, the daylight and the colors of the landscapes are the most beautiful.

Price: Departure 11h30 : 39 euros/person

C) Monument Valley (at the border between Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah = four corners)

Monument valley tour: After the demonstrations of carpet weaving at Navajo, you will be able to see the most spectacular views from the famous Monument valley you see in the films . Several stops will be planned during the visit: John Ford’s Point, The Mittens, Three Sisters, North Window.

+/- 2,5 hours, 48 euros/person

D) Las Vegas-Grand Canyon- Las Vegas

 Helicopter tour from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon: great opportunity to fly over the grand canyon and land down the valley.

Price : 222 euros/person

Don’t miss it, it’s a great opportunity

Total of the trip ( per person) : 885 + 850+35+39+48+222= 2079 euros + the food and souvenirs to add !

Don't hesitate to do this trip ! Others did it before us and they all seemed to be enthusiastic about it !!!