Market Saturday & Rainy Sunday

Our first weekend in Leuven consisted of mainly strolling around the city (same as during the week), moving things into my dorm, and experiencing some of the Saturday market. On Sunday, the weather was grey and wet; most cafes and shops were closed so we detoured through a couple churches and I snapped a few more pictures.

The street we walk down almost every day to get from our Air BnB to the main squares and shopping streets.

On Saturday we walked along the main streets of Leuven where there were vans, carts, and stalls set up for the morning and afternoon to sell everything from flowers to pastries. We ended up with mangoes, a loaf of walnut bread, and some mini Belgian waffles for the road (of course).

I was pleasantly surprised by my first taste of real Belgian waffles – much more cake-like and sweet than the North American kind. They’re hot and ready to eat without any toppings necessary – I could eat way more than the 2 that I bought.

On Sunday we woke up to grey skies and rain but decided to make the most of it and visit some churches as a more indoor-type activity. First stop was Sint-Pieterskerk, just off of Grote Markt (this is one of the squares you’ll often see when Googling “Leuven”).

One side of Grote Markt…

…and the other side of Grote Markt.

Sint-Pieterskerk.

Next, we headed for the church that I can see from the entrance of my residence – Sint Anthonius Kerk.

Street leading to my residence. Sint Anthonius Kerk is on the right end around the corner.

I also moved a lot more of my stuff into residence on Saturday. What I’ve learned from all this moving is that carrying a 50lb suitcase up 3 stories (narrow, wooden stairs) isn’t fun. Anyways, it was well worth it because now my room feels much more homey.

That’s all from this weekend in Leuven. I’ll take some better photos when the weather is sunnier or when I discover new things. Leuven isn’t very big, so I feel as though I’ve seen most of it (at least the areas with the most to do), but there’s much more food to try and shopping to be done, Im sure.

Here’s Leuven’s old Town Hall for good measure. It’s hard to capture the entire building in one frame. This is right across from Sint-Pieterskerk in the Oude Markt. 

Also, why not show you what the University buildings look like over here. 

There are definitely worse places to learn. 

- Alexandra