Magellan Project 2017: Chocolate Empires in Europe

There is a significant difference between the chocolate industries in Europe versus the chocolate industries in America. Most chocolate that Americans consume is produced by major industrial corporations: Hershey’s, Nestle, Mars, Cadbury, Dove, etc. Large scale machines quickly produce masses of chocolates and distribute them all over the nation and the world. Cheap ingredients are used to bring the cost of production down. For example, sugar is a very cheap ingredient, so American companies use a lot of sugar in their chocolates, resulting in a cheap product that is very sweet. These mass amounts of sugar act as an addictive component in each bite of chocolate. Americans devour chocolate, almost like eating chips. We usually head to the grocery store or the gas station to purchase chocolate. Rows and rows of colorful pre-packaged candy bars and other chocolate candies entice us from their shelves. We sit on the couch with our bag of M&Ms and absentmindedly eat while watching T...

Today was my last full day in Europe. I did not sleep at all well last night due to a very bad sore throat. I stayed in bed most of the morning and eventually had breakfast around lunch time. I figured that even though I felt awful, I should not waste my last day in Europe. I showered and decided to go to the Zoo. The Zoo is only a 10 minute walk from my house so this would be a nice ending activity. I was surprisingly underwhelmed by this zoo. It is quite small and is not well maintained. Many of the exhibits are overgrown with weeds and half of the animals were not even out. There was a lake/river area in the middle of the zoo and the water was green and stagnant. The animals did not seem to have much room to move and they all looked miserable and bored. I guess you will find this at every zoo but the zoo I visited in Zurich was much nicer. I also believe that the Pittsburgh Zoo is much better than this. Despite the quality of the Zoo, I enjoyed my time there. The trip...

Today I wanted to explore a bit of Frankfurt before my meeting with the chocolatier. I went down to the U-Bahn station that is close to my Aribnb and it was surprisingly quiet. I heard no trains, the escalator wasn't running and I saw and heard no people. I walked down the stairs and onto the platform and no one was there. I read the sign that usually displays the train times and it said that the U7 train is being operated on. It referred people to use a bus line instead. I am thankful that I know German and could understand the sign. If this happened back in Belgium, I would have been lost. So I decided to walk to the city which took about 30 minutes. The walk was quite peaceful. I am living in a very residential area. The apartments are very nice, there are few people, little traffic, and everything is clean. I got to the city and went shopping on the main shopping street. The clothes are so nice here and they have such good deals. I soon located Römerberg which is a public s...

Today was a travel day and was very uneventful. This post will be rather short. Around 11:00, I checked out of my Airbnb in Cologne and headed to the train station. My train to Frankfurt took about an hour and a half. The train was much nicer this time. I arrived in Frankfurt Main Station and I followed the instructions that my Airbnb host gave me. Surprisingly, all my transitions went extremely well. The directions from my Airbnb host were spot on and I did not have to ask anyone for help. In previous cities, I was given information from my Airbnb hosts but I still had to go to help desks to ask how to get to my home. I took an S Bahn train to a certain location from the train station. At this stop, I just had to walk across the platform and take the U Bahn to my home. I was very stressed out about this travel because Frankfurt is a big city and I had to take three trains, but everything went smoothly. My Airbnb room is much larger than I thought it would be. I am living with a fa...

Today, I decided to go to Bonn, Germany. I had nothing else planned to do in Cologne so I searched for cities close by that were good to visit. Bonn was highly recommended. The train from Cologne to Bonn was only 18 minutes. These trains are very different from the Belgium and Swiss trains. The difference is a bit hard for me to describe but I much prefer the Belgium and Swiss trains. I arrived in Bonn and began to look for the Poppelsdorf Palace. Google maps was taking me across the train station, but there was no way for me to cut across. I figured I would try again later so I went to the Markt. Bonn is a nice, small town. The streets are all cobblestone and there are barely any cars. The Markt is very small but the Old Town Hall is quite beautiful (pictured below). I ate some lunch at a local sandwich shop and headed for the Beethoven House. I spent about an hour at the Beethoven house. This was not as exciting as I expected. I went all throughout his home and saw the room he ...

Today I decided to explore Cologne. First on the list was visiting the Kölner Dom. Also known as Cologne Cathedral, this magnificent piece of architecture is a Roman Catholic cathedral. The Dom is the biggest tourist attraction in Cologne, attracting around 20,000 visitors every day. The Dom is quite large and is impressive to look at. When I was walking around the cathedral, I began noticing that there was so much detail put into this masterpiece. The Dom is a prime example of Gothic architecture and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1996. Here are some different views of the Dom: After walking around the cathedral, I made my way to the chocolate museum. This was a nice, 15 minute walk along the Rhine River. Unlike the waters in Switzerland, the Rhine looked just like a Pittsburgh river: brownish green. Here are some pictures of the outside of the Lindt Schokoladenmuseum. I spent about two hours in this museum. There is so much information and the museum is wel...

Today was a travel day. I left Bruges at 8:15 and had a 20 minute walk to the train station in the pouring down rain. My bags got soaked but nothing was ruined. I swear that my bags get heavier each time I move. The commute was miserable and I am exhausted from lugging these bags around. I had to take a train from Bruges to Brussels. Bruges is a much smaller train station and does not have trains that run to Cologne. From Brussels, I took a train to Cologne. I had to reserve a seat on this train. I had no issues finding my train and the correct seat. Now to get a cheap train reservation, I had to take an early train. I was to arrive in Cologne at 12:15 but I could not check into my Airbnb until 3:00. On the way to Cologne, something interesting happened. The lady in the seat behind me starting having pains and her husband ran for help. A few of the conductors came to our car and made an announcement, asking if any doctors on the train could come to car 22. A lady in the back o...

Today I met with the owner of Dumon Chocolate Shop, Jelle Descamps. The shop was only a three minute walk from my Airbnb. Upon arrival, I was greeted with hot chocolate. This was the best hot chocolate I have ever had. I was given a glass of warm milk and was then instructed to take pieces of their chocolates and stir them into the warm milk. Mr. Descamps sat with me in the store and answered all of my questions. Dumon is one of the 55 chocolate shops in Bruges, Dumon having three of those shops. The company started in 1922 and Mr. Descamps purchased Dumon in 2010. I visited him at their newest shop which opened in 2014. Mr. Descamps mentioned that their is competition between the local chocolate shops but they are all friendly partners. I asked him what Dumon is most known for. He stated that Dumon is known for their pralines. They offer over 80 varities of pralines and the selection is always changing. His company is always playing around with new fillings, herbs, spices, and techn...

Today I chose to explore Bruges. Because I do not have a kitchen in this Airbnb, I purchased some bananas and croissants at a grocery store and just ate that for breakfast. After breakfast, I went to the Belfry tower in the Markt. The Belfry of Bruges is a medieval bell tower and is one of the main attractions in Bruges. The bells in the tower were once used to regulate the lives of the townspeople. The bells would ring on the hour for time, the start and end of the work day, important town events, and fire alarms. Today, there are 47 bells in the tower and the ring can be heard all over Bruges. I climbed the inside of the Belfry all the way to the top of the tower. 366 steps later, I was released into a panoramic view of the city of Bruges. The view was absolutely stunning and the bells were loud. I could look up and see the bells working to produce their melodious songs. The steps were very narrow and I had to be very cautious on both my ascent and descent. People would be coming u...

Today I travelled to Bruges, Belgium. The train ride was only an hour which was not bad at all. My Aribnb was only 17 minutes away, so I walked to the home instead of taking a bus. The walk was through a park and was very peaceful. This was a nice change from leaving a train station and walking through bustling city streets. The only bad part about the walk was my cumbersome bag and heavy, bulging backpack. I always put my Airbnb in google maps and then walk to the home but always seem to pass it up. I found the street that my Airbnb was on but could not find the door. Some nice lady on a bike asked if I needed help. Although she did not know the street name I was referring to, she gave me advice on places to eat. My first interaction with a native was a very nice encounter. I finally find the door (a big blue door, only one on the street... how could I miss this). My host takes me up to my room, and again, it is stunning. The room is spacious and the bed is very soft. I have a bat...