Day 9 (December 25)

We woke up at 9:30 A.M, ready to get out of our hotel room. Everyone decided to skip breakfast today and just get a start on the day. We called two taxis to drive us over to the Blegny Mines (History). When we arrived it was 10:00 A.M, and we learned some history on the place.

Blegny Mines

Blegny Mines use to be an underground coal mine, but is now preserved as a museum on the European Route of Industrial Heritage. It was established by monks in the sixteenth century and soon became an important asset to Belgium's industrial revolution. The mine eventually closed in 1973 due to an oil crisis. While there, we were taken down in a mining cage to various underground galleries. They also taught us about how coal was extracted. After that we learned more on the lives of the miners and their working conditions. There were also display cases showing off technical equipment underground, the coal, and noisy machinery. 

Bocow Restaurant

After we got our fill of the place, it was 3:30 P.M. We were all starving and decided to go to a local restaurant called Bocow. We called two taxis and drove over. By the time we arrived it was 4:30 P.M. Once we were seated everyone ordered a meal called the "Refuge". It's a plate of foie gras or smoked salmon and raclette. The meal was delicious and our favorite part was the drizzling smoke salmon. 
When we were out of the restaurant, it was 5:30 P.M. We called two taxis to drive back to the hotel. Everyone was settled in our room by 6:00 P.M. Yuval and Trevor rematched in FIFA 16. Trevor crushed Yuval 4-0 and it gave everyone a good laugh. After everyone packed up their stuff, so we could transition between hotels easily. We all said our goodnights, watched some more Family Guy Season 5, and fell asleep.