My Guide to Visiting Belgium in Three Days

Hello! Earlier this month I visited Belgium for the first time, and had an amazing stay. I was only in Belgium for three days, but even given that short amount of time, I was able to see a lot. Here are my tips for making your time in Belgium count and to taking advantage of your time there!

1) Explore nearby cities (I went to the beautiful Ghent!)

We flew into Brussels, and stayed each night there. Because Belgium is a small country, it’s pretty easy to see a lot of the country even while staying in Brussels. This leads me to my first tip, which is to get out of the city for one day (or two, if possible!) to go explore nearby cities. Bruges is a really popular tourist destination and located about an hour outside of Brussels- I’ve never been but I’ve heard it’s beautiful albeit very touristy. Ghent is supposed to have a more authentic Belgian feel, and is a very beautiful city with a gorgeous canal and stunning architecture. When we visited, we got food to go and sat on the canal all day, as many locals do, and it was PERFECT.

2) Take a tour of the city of Brussels

While in Brussels, we took another free walking tour (“free” NOT including tip) and saw all the major sites of Brussels in about three hours. I would highly recommend doing a tour like this, because it is extremely easy to walk to all the major attractions of Brussels from the city center- and can definitely be done in one day! Spend one day taking a tour, and then take another day to just relax, wander the streets, and take in the Belgian culture.

Make sure to visit the Grand-Place!

3) Enjoy the beautiful mélange that is Belgian culture

Belgium is a perfect mix of French and Dutch culture, which makes for some stunning architecture, delicious local cuisine, and an interesting variety people who both live there, and visit.

Go wander around the streets, drink coffee and chat up locals (everyone’s English is PERFECT), or grab a beer at a bar- the locals will be more than happy to give you recommendations.

Belgium also has great vegan options, but food did tend to be a bit pricier!

The beautiful streets of Brussels

Tips to CHEAPLY Travel London

This February I visited London for the second time, and this trip yet again verified that London is one of my favorite cities. Both times I’ve visited London, I’ve done it cheaply and still seen so amazing things. London is a city that is super popular for student travelers and backpackers, and while it can be pricey, it’s not too difficult to travel cheaply. Here’s a short list of tips to see the sites of London on a budget (and in only a few days too)!

A quick word of warning to pay attention to is the exchange rate between dollars and pounds as it’s more inflated than the exchange rate between dollars and euros. Coming from a place that uses predominately euros, it was a tough adjustment to remember.

1) Book a hostel in the city center:

• If you want to stay somewhere for cheap and are a student traveler or backpacker, there are a plethora of good hostels in central London to stay in for really good prices. The hostel I stayed at both times as it was clean, lively, and very central was Wombats Hostel- it’s located 10 minutes from the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge (aka the London Bridge) and has a really cool downstairs bar where it’s really easy to socialize and get cheap drinks- without leaving the hostel. They also give you free drink tickets upon arrival! Overall one of the nicest hostels I’ve ever stayed at.

• By booking a place to stay in the city center, you will also save on transportation costs!

2) Go on a ‘free' walking tour:

The alley that inspired J.K. Rowling to think up Diagon Alley in Harry Potter spotted on our walking tour!

• I write this in quotations as it is courtesy to tip at the end of a free walking tour as tour guides make their wages exclusively off tips. That being said, mostly people tip around $15 (USD), so it’s not too expensive given how long the tours are (usually around 2 1/2 to 3 hours) and you see A LOT in a short amount of time.

• I went on a free walking tour each time I was in London, both through Strawberry Tours, and both tours left straight from our hostel!

3) Book accommodations with breakfast included or a cheap breakfast option, plan restaurants beforehand, or book a place with a kitchen:

• If you want to save money on food, I’d recommend staying at a place with breakfast included or offered cheaply- this way you can eat A LOT at the beginning of the day and spend less on food throughout the day.

• Exploring restaurants is, however, one of my favorite things to do so in my opinion it’s always a good idea to do research beforehand and plan restaurants where you want to splurge and have a nice meal.

• Airbnb is often a nice and cheap travel option (although it can be pricey to find a cheap place in central London), however when staying at an Airbnb, it’s easy to save money by cooking at least one meal at home each day.

4) If you are a fan of theater, it is easy to get discounted tickets to see several different shows:

• There’s several websites to go to to find cheap tickets to all the shows playing in London’s theaters, but I booked a ticket to Wicked the day before the show using this website.

• London has a great theater scene, and there’s so many shows being offered with various seats and ticket prices.

My MUST-TRY Vegan Spots in Omaha, Nebraska

I’ve been in Europe for about two months now, and while I love the life and the food here, and haven’t been too homesick, the one thing that I do miss is some good vegan food in restaurants. France, in general, has healthier options at restaurants- especially for vegans- which has me missing some of my favorite options back home. As a vegan college student in Omaha, I’ve compiled a good list of places with AMAZING vegan options in central Omaha that are pretty healthy as well.

These are my favorite places personally, but be sure to check out veganomaha.com for a list of comprehensive vegan options in Omaha!

Breakfast/ Coffee:

Amateur Coffee: Completely vegan coffee shop that uses oat milk and is life changing! Seriously so delicious and there’s tons of breakfast options as well including vegan waffles, vegan (and gluten free) pastries, and chia seed pudding! The owners and staff are also so nice, I go in seriously at least once a week when I’m back home.

Location: 3913 Cuming St, Omaha, NE 68131

A delicious breakfast spread from Amateur Coffee- it never disappoints!

Saddle Creek Breakfast Club: An amazing breakfast place with A WHOLE VEGAN MENU!!! The vegan biscuits and gravy are to die for, but they also have tons of other options such as vegan banana bread pancakes (also amazing), and more! Their hash browns are also completely vegan and make the perfect addition to any meal!

Location: 1540 N Saddle Creek Rd, Omaha, NE 68104

The MOST amazing vegan biscuits and gravy.

SCBC also serves Amateur coffee!

Rally Coffee: Also has oatmilk lattes that I’m obsessed with!!! They have a few vegan options on their food menu too that are labeled.

Location: 49 N 14th St, Omaha, NE 68102

Restaurants:

Brick Oven Pizzeria: A hole in the wall pizza place with the best vegan pizza and vegan calzones in Omaha- I’m not sure what vegan cheese they use but it is so good!

Location: 24 S 72nd St, Omaha, NE 68114

Zio’s Pizzeria: Pizza place with vegan cheese and make your own pizza options, which is really nice because you can buy it by the slice for about $4/ slice- quick and easy and delicious.

Locations: 1109 Howard St, Omaha, NE 68102 (downtown location), 7834 Dodge St, Omaha, NE 68114 (near UNO’s campus), 12997 W Center Rd, Omaha, NE 68144 (West O location)

El Basha: Authentic Lebanese restaurent with the best falafel wrap and hummus/ pita bread.

Location: 7503 Pacific St, Omaha, NE 68114

Amsterdam Falafel and Kebab: Another great falafel place in Omaha- have all the vegan sandwiches and salads labeled. Their curry fries are also super tasty!

Locations: 620 N 50th St, Omaha, NE 68132 (Dundee), 10000 California St, Omaha, NE 68114 (WestRoads Mall)

Benson Brewery: THE BEST VEGGIE BURGER I’VE HAD!!! The fries and vegan ranch are also amazing here, as well as the seitan vegan wings offered in three flavors!

Location: 6059 Maple St, Omaha, NE 68104

Blue Sushi: My favorite sushi place, and is a semi-local chain. They have all vegan rolls labeled, and other vegan options besides just sushi as well including a vegan dessert option. Go during happy for killer prices!

Locations: 416 S 12th St, Omaha, NE 68102 (downtown location), 14450 Eagle Run Dr, Omaha, NE 68116 (West O), 16939 Wright Plaza, Omaha, NE 68130 (West O)

Modern Love: The only totally vegan restaurant in Omaha (aside from Amateur Coffee- also completely vegan) and is a bit pricey but delicious and perfect for special occasions- they have the most creative and delicious dishes, and the most amazing dessert!

Location: 3157 Farnam St Suite 7113, Omaha, NE 6813

Vegan Reuben Sandwich at Modern Love- one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had.

Vegan Chickpea Cutlet, served with delicious vegan ranch and potato wedges.

Winter Break (& Traveling Around France With My Parents !!!)

My parents came and visited me in February for a little over a week, and it was so great to be with family after a little over a month of being away. It was also really fun to get the opportunity to drive around France with them! We spent a day exploring Normandy: Mount St. Michel and Utah and Omaha Beach, as well as the American Cemetery. My dad, who loves history and had family in the war, really enjoyed his time there (as we all did) and we got especially lucky with perfect weather.

I also got to spend a few days showing my parents around my city. I love living in Nantes, and I loved being able to show my parents around my new home. I can really see myself living here (for good?) or at least after graduation for a few years… maybe indefinitely. I really wanted to show my parents why I can see myself fitting into the life here so easily. They agreed, and loved it here (almost) as much as I do. We then went down to Bordeaux for the weekend, and stayed in the most beautiful bed and breakfast in the countryside. I spent all weekend in bliss- in the beautiful and sunny countryside drinking dry red wine.  Also because we were staying in a small town right outside the city of Bordeaux, not a lot of people spoke French and I had to translate quite a bit for my parents. It was really great practice but I didn’t realize how difficult it was to speak both languages simultaneously. Maybe being a translator isn’t in the cards for me as a future career; it might be a bit too stressful. Check out my video on what I ate and did in Bordeaux, as well as my tips on being vegan while traveling in France!

One of the best meals I’ve had! A beautiful dinner at an all vegan restaurant, BistroBio in Milan.

We returned to Nantes and my parents left the next day, and I also departed with Stephanie to Milan, Italy, and Brussels, Belgium as we both had a week off of school for winter break. We unknowingly booked our trip to Milan during fashion week, and we were swept away by all the remarkable fashion there. Milan was a beautiful melange of modern and traditional Italian culture and architecture. It also had some of the best vegan options I’d ever seen, especially while outside of the U.S.! I ate at this amazing, completely vegan restaurant called BistroBio, with local ingredients and in-season menu items- a place you must check out if you find yourself in Milan.

Belgium was next, and man was that beautiful city. The architecture and culture was so interesting as it was a perfect mix of French and Dutch. We also took a day trip to Ghent, Belgium and did as the Belgians do and sat by the canal all day in the sun. It was so, incredibly stunning. One thing I will say about my trip to Belgium is that I experienced the worst cat calling I ever had, and as a young female traveler, that always freaks me out. It is ESSENTIAL to be smart and pay attention while traveling always, but especially as a young woman. I hate that I even have to specify that, but unfortunately it’s so, so important.

Our beautiful view of the canal in Ghent, Belgium.

Our trip to Belgium was short, but we definitely saw and did a lot! Check out my blog post My Guide to Visiting Belgium in Three Days. Stay tuned for more updates on my stay in here in Europe, and follow my Instagram more frequent updates!

My First Month Abroad

The start of 2019 has been an absolute whirlwind. The beginning of January consisted of me frantically preparing to leave the country and pack for 6 months, as I had to finish up tying lose ends in Nebraska before getting on my one-way flight to France. To me, this was terrifying. I’m someone who has travelled a lot in the past, but to up and leave my comfortable life to move halfway across the world where I knew no one was a little insane, even for me. There were so many times within the two months before I left that I questioned my decision, but as soon as I got on that plane from my connection in Lisbon, Portugal to finally head to Nantes, France, and saw the sunrise over the ocean and flew over the beautiful French countryside, I knew that choosing to follow this dream was the right decision.

Upon arriving to France, one very good thing happened and one not-so-good thing happened. After a quick layover and a delayed flight, I arrived safely and on-time in Nantes, but my luggage did not. However, the good thing out of all of this is that my soon-to-be friend Stephanie was on the same flight as me (very possibly the only other American on this flight) and to our surprise we were both with the same study abroad program and living in the same residence hall. I’m someone who doesn’t believe in coincidences, and I know that our friendship was meant to be, especially because we would come to learn that the French university system (and the bureaucracy in general) is extremely difficult to figure out. She also helped me figure out navigating getting my luggage back in France- luckily it arrived two days later. It’s been extremely helpful (and less frustrating) to have someone to help jump through all the hoops that our study abroad program has entailed. It has been so extremely worth it, without a doubt, but navigating moving to another country and studying here with very little outside help definitely has not been easy. That is one thing I will say, moving to another country whether it be through studying, work, or just personal choice will force you to grow as a person.

The neighborhood Trentemoult in Nantes, France… one of my favorite parts of the city!

Despite the difficulty of dealing with French bureaucracy, I’m in love with my daily life here in Nantes. I wake up, am running a little bit late for my classes (per usual), so I throw on a quick, but fashionable outfit- the French ALWAYS dress well to class, grab my coffee and some fruit and head to class. Since I am only studying language here in France, my classes are pretty tame. I usually have one to two classes per day, and then have the rest of the day to go explore the city (Nantes is beautiful!), plan my other trips around Europe, work on my blog, or you know, do other important things such as do laundry, clean, or grocery shop. After class, I usually eat a bigger meal- baguettes are a staple in my diet here in France, and do one of these said productive things before going out to spend time in Nantes for the afternoon or head to my university gym. Overall, it’s a good daily set up. I love love love being able to explore my city every day, make and eat healthy vegan food, and do what I’m passionate about- speak French and focus on my healthy lifestyle, and share what I’m passionate about with others.

In the first month of my semester, I pretty much stayed in France and adjusted to the Nantaise lifestyle, however I did take one big trip, and that was to London. Stephanie and I booked a *cheap* plane ticket to spend the weekend seeing one of my favorite cities. I had visited London once before, two years ago when I backpacked Europe with my sister, and fell in love with the beautiful city and face paced lifestyle. I was so excited to go back, and London did not disappoint a second time. Stephanie and I explored all the big touristy sites of the city, and also found some hip local places as well- including this amazing pizza place I found last time I was in London (called Stable Pizza). We also found a cheap musical ticket to Wicked, and we had an amazing time there as well. Check out my blog post on how to do London CHEAPLY! It’s not too difficult to do, and truly is a must-see city!

Overall, there’s so much that I am grateful for from my first month in France, and I am so excited to get to live here for the time being, so much so that I am making plans to return to France. Updates to come!

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