Antwerp, Belgium - Week 1

Hello Family and Friends,

Yes, I am just confused as you are. In my last post I wrote about our next location being Brussels, Belgium and then we get off the train in Antwerp, Belgium. Something I was very much looking forward to was unpacking for a longer stay. Brett tells me that we will be going to Brussels in four days but the hotel was booked so we had to stay elsewhere. We were planning on making a weekend trip to Antwerp so now we are just starting in Antwerp. Of course, I was peeved at first because I'm not really good with unmet expectations. However, Antwerp was absolutely lovely! Maybe a little small for living. For example, in our four days there I would see some of the same random people around town. However, the historic area is full of great food, shopping and is adorably charming.

 Part of the historic district.

Antwerp central train station.

Inside of the train station.

Food! The fork is floating

Cathedral of our Lady. The boy and dog in front of the cathedral covered by a cobblestone blanket depicts a popular Belgium novel, "A Dog of Flanders"

Another view of the boy and his dog. The story is set on Antwerp and is actually quite sad as it ends with the boy and the dog passing away from hypothermia...in front of a church.

You can see the cathedral spire from all over the city.

We were able to rent bikes and rode all over downtown Antwerp. We rode through this one neighborhood that is car free. It wasn't as cool as it sounds as it is more of an apartment complex and not really a neighborhood.

In front of the gardens of the car free "neighborhood".

We also rode to the Main Square of the Grote Market. In the center of the market is the Brabo Fountain.

Main Square with the Brabo Fountain.

This fountain depicts a legend of a roman soldier named Brabo defeating a giant who has been charging a toll to passing boats. If you could not pay the toll the giant would cut off your hand and throw it in the river. Brabo refused to pay the toll and challenged the giant to a duel. Upon defeating the giant, he cut off the giants hand and threw it in the river. Antwerp's name is based on this legend. Antwerp is from the Dutch word "antwerpen" meaning "hand throwing". The stautue doesn't just represent a mythical story, but also the freeing of Antwerp from the tolls the Dutch would charge passing ships greatly inhibiting the growth of Antwerp. When the Dutch stopped this practice in 1863 it helped Antwerp grow.

Another view of The Brabo Fountain. You can see the cut off giants arm, near the bottom of the ofuntain, spewing water as if it was blood.

On our second bike riding day, Brett let me do something super touristy: we all dressed in the same t-shirt!

Bike riding in our matching t-shirts.

The building in the backdrop of the above photo is Steen Castle. This is the oldest building in Antwerp.

In front of Steen Castle.

The castle was built as apart of a larger fortress to protect the city. Now it is used as a historical center depicting the history of Antwerp.

A model of the city where you could learn more about the buildings in red by picking them up and placing them in a scanner.

A Lego model of the castle

The view of the river from atop the castle.

A funny sign located at the cafe within the castle.

A really cute street we rode down on our personal bike tour.

Bike Napping: 2, Atlas: 0

Biking in Antwerp is a whole other experience from any place we have biked previously. As a biker, we actually had trouble finding bike parking. As a pedestrian I had to watch for bike traffic even more so than car traffic! What a wonderful problem to have.

Something about Antwerp that became apparent very quickly is the number of jewelry stores. There are so many, just one after the other. After some research I learned that Antwerp is the diamond capital of the world. The city is so cute, but it doesn't necessarily feel luxurious. The diamonds feel out of place. Somewhere like Paris feels more like a diamond capital. But Antwerp's diamond standard is very high and it has the entire supply chain in one place.

Ok guys, the next time we chat should be about Brussels, the seat of the European Union.