Chocolate from around the world – Experience Belgium

When I was 16, I was invited on a missionary trip to Belgium.  I will be the first to admit the only thing I knew about Belgium was its chocolate.  However, I had never ever tasted it.  Wouldn’t you know it; the trip took place over Easter.  So not only was I traveling to a place famous for its chocolate, but I was traveling on a holiday famous for giving and receiving chocolate. It was a double bonus in my mind.  The trip was amazing.  I discovered that Europeans think differently than North Americans do. I discovered many kind people that could speak Flemish, English or French (my French classes paid off in Brussels).  But the most impacting event there was the chocolatiers.  Now to explain this correctly I am going to give you a visual.  The number of chocolate shops in Belgium can be equated to the number of Tim Horton’s (in Canada) or Starbucks you see.  There was one on every corner in Brussels.  Traveling early in the morning you would be bombarded with the smell of fresh chocolate.  I can tell you that smell is the most fragrant and amazing smell in the world.  It provides an instant craving that needs to be filled.  The chocolate makers here are smart.  That smell sells itself.  I long to go back for another visit. My waistline forbids me from doing it.  If you want to know why Belgian chocolate is so special and has such an effect on everyone it comes in contact with, click here. Finally every year Belgium has a chocolate festival. Here is a little video for you to enjoy and be envious of. I know i am.