Leuven and Antwerp and Ghent oh my!

So this past weekend we stayed in Belgium and had a three-day three city tour with none other than Dr. Prof. Jerome Sheridan. Our tour of Belgian cities took off with a 45 minute bus ride into the city of Leuven (but before this we had our first exam and let me tell you if was draining....actually not really it wasn't so bad but still exams are lame).
Anyway, we made our way into Leuven where Prof. Sheridan or "Jerry" once again impressed the class with his vast knowledge of all things Belgian. Leuven is home to the Flemish counterpart of UCL (the university where AU's Brussels Center is located) and so we took a tour of KUL's facilities and various colleges. Plus for them...there dorms are sooooo cute! (at least on the outside they are). We also visited Pater Damiaan's crypt and display, where they talk about his various charity works in Honolulu working with a leper colony and his canonization by Pope John Paul II. After the official tour, the gang headed back to a local brewery where most of the table tried the local beer. (I had a sip and it tasted awful but what do I know... thanks Becca for the sip!) Anyway whilst I sipped on my Coca-Cola Light (aka Diet Coke) we had a grand old time being extremely loud and obnoxious (this is mostly my fault for laughing...A LOT) After this some of the girls and I went scouting for dinner and then later that night some of us met up at Stokkel for more fun and adventuring...expect that Stokkel closes wicked early so we only adventured for a short time but it was still awesome and a major group bonding activity.
On Saturday we made our way to Antwerp which is one of the diamond capitals in the world. Some ridiculously high percentage of the world's diamonds at some point pass through the Port of Antwerp and into the Antwerp Diamond District (for exact figures please see Jerry). We then made our way through the city and saw some amazing gothic architecture (the famous church beloved by Monet and Manet to paint is located in this city) as well as some very famous Flemish art. One of the best parts of the tour was the Statue of Antwerp, were Jerry told us about the legendary meaning of the name Antwerp. According to legend, a Roman sailor fought the water demon of Antwerp, cutting off his hand and tossing it into the sea.... Antwerp=hand toss (I'll give you a few moments to laugh now...especially if you are British). However, this is a legend and obviously more exciting than the true possible meaning cause I can't remember those. Anyway Antwerp was so much fun and I think my favorite city of the weekend.
Sunday saw us in Ghent which was a cute little town full of medieval architecture and canals that passed through the entire city. We went to an actual castle and it was soooo cool (Expect for the torture tools room which made me queasy and the little steps on the stairs). We saw some more Flemish art and then we left (by we I mean Becca, Ben and myself) it was a long and exhausting three days but super fun and educational!