D-Day to Dairy Cows

Another riveting week in my European life! Thursday evening was our monthly EPA dinner. EPA has arranged our internships and is known throughout Europe for offering a wide variety of internship opportunities for college students. Be sure to check out their website! My blog may be appearing in their newsletter… http://www.epa-internships.org/index.html.

Friday, my classmates and I left for Normandy. Unfortunately, the trip was not as pleasant as we would have hoped – 8 of 20 of us caught some kind of flu bug. I was fortunate enough to be alright, but one of my roommates, not so lucky. Nevertheless, we made our way to Utah and Omaha Beach, the two beaches where American soldiers commenced D-Day, and Pointe-du-Hoc, with 150-200 foot cliffs. It was unbelievable and moving to experience these landmarks. To conclude our Saturday tour, we visited the American Cemetery in Normandy. Over 170 acres commemorating the soldiers of World War II. The landscape was painstakingly beautiful, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, while home to 30% of the American soldiers killed in Normandy.

Needless to say, it was a memorable weekend that touched many of us. However, I think all of us were grateful to arrive home in Brussels and protect our immune systems from whatever bug is going around our group.

Monday morning marked the first major protest of our stay. About 1,000 farmers drove tractors (actual tractors!) and farm animals (image cows and professionals in business suits united on the sidewalk) into Brussels during the early hours to protest the falling prices of milk. Since Brussels is home to the European Union, the Belgium capital has become a place to demonstrate. On my way to my internship, I encountered at least 50 security and policy vehicles. Ironically, the metro stop closest to our apartments is actual the stop closest to the European Council and European Commission. Great location on a typical day. Unfortunately, due to the number of tractors and numerous cows on the streets, daily Brussels traffic was quite chaotic. I made it home after an extra hour on the public transportation system. However, I shouldn’t complain, I did live to see a dozen cows in the middle of a European capital. =)

If you don’t believe me, be sure to visit the link below for more details on my outrageous day in Brussels! http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jAzYMRjkcPkwqjcEZEvjefV_3NzgD9B4V96O3