Leuven - weird, creepy and strange

Leuven - Saint Peter's Church

Leuven. The place where I almost got to Erasmus. I have kinda mixed feelings about the place. My best trip was spent in here so far, and the city is ALSO beautiful, and the bar-street is fascinating (later about this), but probably the most important is the company, as I realized. I think I just reached the point, where I can call more and more people my friend and I got over my shyness and starting to be myself. (Everyone can decide is it a good or a bad thing :) )

First, I have to say, it's an easy trip to organize, as there is a direct train to Leuven from LLN. I maybe didn't mentioned, but the city is the basis of the KU Leuven, which is the "mother" university of UCL, as the French speaker part was banned out of Leuven, when the language borders were made. That's the point when UCL and LLN was founded around the 1970's. About the train the short story is definately my new fav city called Heverlee, sounds very erotic, like the name of a pornstar. But definately it was funny just there and then. :)

So we arrived. The train station is nothing special, but at least it has a very good location, we could reach the city center very fast on foot. Shops, churches and the city hall. The new thing, that I've never experienced at the cities before, that the much university buildings (feels like home because of the same logo :) ), like there is one on almost every corner. And a lot of street art, as in the other cities, just more and more creepy here. With the antique churches and beau buildings they make a funny and satisfying contrast. But first let's start with the boring tourist stuff. Churches. You know, they are my favs, here they were also stunning. I think the best church is the one called Saint Peter's church, that you can see on the top. It nice outside, nice inside, and next to the usual stuff, I getting more and more under the effect of the gregorian music in churches. Old, religious music, what made me feel, how tiny, I am under the 40-50 meter high cupolas.




After the churches I should mention also the Grand Place, where you have to go day and also go back at night, as the lights are fascinating then. There are 2 big places, one with the belltower and a huge empty place, and the most important: the giant superweird FLY (!!! - ok it's not a fly, then some kind of disgusting animal, nm) on a stick in the middle of the square.  The other square is the more fancy one, and it is full of people, and here is also the famous and already mentioned bar-street.

Before I begin the beer topic, let's talk about 2 very important sights. First (! - as museums usually close at around 5 pm, check it first) the Leuven City Museum is totally a need to see museum, if we didn't enough creepy stuff around the city. (I have to admit, that we didn't find the Disappearing Toilet ( :D - the toilet appears in the night and disappears in the morning ) and the place, where they perform from time-to-time the famous rape and murder of a young girl of Leuven. So, if we checked them, we should go to the museum. The first impession is wrong! It looks a modern museum about traditional exhibitions. It's not. The entrance fee is around 5€, but it's totally worth it. We spent inside more than 2 hours I guess, and it's really interesting. Yeah, and I'm really glad, that finally I got to a building's roof, so finally selfie and panorama-tiiiiiime. :)

The artistic and/or historical exhibitions are both fascinating and weird. Need to see, I could compare the feeling inside with the song of Tool - Schism. There is a traditional historical and art exhibition, and probably temporary medicine and also a modern art exhibition of Marcus Schinwald. But I won't say anything else, interpret the art, as you wish:

We finally reached the last sight before the desired beer: this is the Nun's district. It is the best place to go in the border of the day and light, as it is the most beautiful place of the city, but a little bit further from the center, so that way you can enjoy also the daylight, the twilight and the night lights. Narrow streets, parks, tunnels split the district into parts, and with the autumn beauty of the woods it is just a good feeling to be there. I would recommend you to go there and find the small pond somewhere in the neighbourhood, that provides awesome possibilities for selfies and possible profile pictures. However its not the cleanest park and water I've ever been. So this redbricked, old town in the town can be explored in an hour, and then, after twilight go back to the city to check the Grand Place again with the lights. And after comes the beer.

So finally we are here at the beer. Definately, because of the university, there is the bar-street, what is one huge community of pubs, as there is next to each other around 10-20 bars with different design and theme, but almost the same prices (~kartel), because it's not worth to compete in that factor. And I can say, I still love Belgians. The waiters really don't bother, if you can't choose for 3 minutes, they are gladly do 5 photos about your group, he also reveals, what his fav beer is. :) Yeah, and they talk to you the way, like they really could care about you, or at least they fake it, like a good wife. :D So I like the mentality, also the place, called The Capital. You can reach the bar directly from the Grand Place. On the 1st floor there is the pub part of the bar, the 2nd floor is about quiet, friendly conversations, while the basement is a library and a wine cellar. So what should I say, I really liked the place, so maybe I'm influenced at the rating of the todays beer. The beer, I've tried is a light Belgian ale, called Préaris Blond, as I know the waiter's fav. It is not local, but near Bruges, but really good. Little lemon flavour, characteristic and strong. Not the most special I've ever tried, but still very good.

Beauty: 2/3

Sights: 2/3

Specialities: 2/2 - Nun's district, City Museum

Mood: 2/2

City rating: 8/10 

Préaris Blond rating: 7/10