Compared to the first couple days of the trip, Tuesday morning's itinerary was not so leisurely, as the students were dressed up in business casual and on the train to Brussels from Leuven by 8:30am. Arriving in the European Quarter around 9am, the AU students and several KU Leuven students made their way down the street from the train station to attend a trade policy briefing at the European Commission. Sitting in a conference room at the Centre De Conférences Albert Barrschette, the students first listened to Lubomira Bencova, of the Directorate-General for Trade, give a helpful explanation and overview of the European Commission and its role with the EU institutional framework. Ms. Bencova was kind enough to answer questions from the students and shared her path from university to working at the Commission in the present day. After a short break to stretch legs, the students heard from Ulrich Trautmann, also from the DG for Trade, who spoke in more detail on the state of trade relations in the EU, highlighting the EU's trade partnerships with the United States, its challenges and successes. Mr. Trautmann took much of his time to answer questions on specific trade policy issues and was kind enough to extend his briefing an additional 40 minutes to accommodate all the questions posed by students and the professor alike.
The morning spent at the European Commission was succeeded by a truly delicious lunch at the Maison Antoine. The most famous Belgian friterie sitting at the edge of the European Quarter, Maison Antoine caters to students, city workers, and diplomats alike. Former chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, has even stopped by for a cone of fries now and again. They were very, very good.
After lunch, the students took a walking tour of Brussels, under the knowledgable guidance of Dr. Manuel Schmitz. Though the tour lasted four full hours, the time spent walking the streets of Brussels was quite enjoyable in the cool, sun-soaked weather of the afternoon. Starting at the European Quarter, walking past the Royal Palace and through the Grand Place, the tour came to its conclusion just outside A La Bécasse, a famous Belgian beerhouse. Seizing the opportunity for a well-earned refreshment, the students sat together and sampled a few Belgian brews before going their separate ways. Some students took the next train back to Leuven, others stayed in Brussels until just before the final train left the station at 11:29pm, to soak up as much of the city as they could and enjoy a late-night snack of Belgian waffles from one of the stands still open at that hour.
It was a long but truly lovely day.
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