A Journey Through European History & Culture

In mid-April, our class, the 2AK, went on an exciting trip to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the “heart” of the European Union. Over three days, we explored various institutions, met our partner schools from Hungary and Spain, and had plenty of time to enjoy the city.
On the first day, we started our morning with a visit to the Parlamentarium, where we learned about the structure and history of the EU through interactive self-guided tours. In the afternoon, we had free time to explore the city. Some of us went downtown to try local food like the famous fries, or we visited the Ferris wheel, where we enjoyed a stunning view over Brussels.

The general topic of the second day was European politics and history. In the morning, we visited the actual European Parliament, where we started with a short presentation about the institution and then got to see the world-famous plenary hall, where important meetings take place. After a lunch break, we went to the House of European History. This museum presents the history of Europe in a very engaging way. A guide showed us around, and some of us said it was the best place we visited during our excursion. In the evening, we took part in a group activity with the students from our exchange schools, held at the office of the Styrian regional government. It was a fun and interesting way to connect with the others.

On the final day, we went to the Museum of Natural Sciences, where we saw an exhibition about dinosaurs. For the rest of the day, we explored the city on our own. Most of us visited the Grand Place, bought souvenirs for family and friends, or just strolled around the city. In the evening, we took the train back to Vienna and got home safely.

Overall, it was a great experience, and I’m pretty sure everyone learned something.

Angelina Ilic