BELGIUM
First Day.
Arrived in Antwerp with Reg by my side, like a chaperon. Checked in to our hotel, Ibis Hotel. The room was so identical with the same chain of hotels that we stayed in Brussels.
Wandered around the city. went to a bar & got chatted by a guy. Bruno his name. Real name ? We didn't ask.
Our conversation was intense. Moved to another place, near Bourla before we started to start to fight ! Had a meal by the quayside in the south west of the city. All had great time in the end. Although Bruno was keen to stay the night with us. No way Jose ! We are not that type.
By the way, earlier on, I bought 3 CDs:
His name Is Alive
Weather Prophet
Bella Union Sampler
Indie freak me !
2nd Day.
Explored the city again. We had a short tour on a horse-bus. It was pleasant enough time. Passed through some good Antwerp's monuments & buildings.
In the evening, we went back to the quayside where we had dinner last night, on the first day. No, not to look for Bruno again but to look for some nice places to eat. Stumbled on a funfair.
Spent good hours there. Taking the roller-coaster rides, some were violent & some were tame. I had a headache, of all the rides I took in Antwerp ! Ate lots of chips as well.
Walked around again. Saw many cafes & just watched people in their early night life behaviours. Swell.
Reg left me to wander on my own. I wanted to get into this seedy cinema but the place was ran out of tickets ! Wondered what were they showing inside....
Antwerp is a truly nice place to visit. Everything is compact within easy reach. If you are in Belgium, you are definitely have to visit Antwerp. Vibrant day & night life to enjoy.
Put Antwerp in your must-go list.
Thank you.
Antwerp is notable as a centre of the diamond industry, both for trading and for cutting and polishing. Antwerp is also famous for its seaport with a lot of cargo shipping. Since the 1990s it has been recognized as a fashion design city, namely because of some graduates of the Royal Academy of Fine arts - Fashion, became internationally successful.
Antwerp is also notable for its zoo, which is one of the oldest and most famous zoos in the world. The Antwerp Zoo is located in the middle of the city and hosts more than 4000 animals. The Royal Society for Zoology has been watching over the welfare of numerous animals and helping to protect threatened animals for more than 100 years.
Antwerp is nicknamed "The Jerusalem of the West" because of its large orthodox Jewish (hasidic) community.
INFORMATION...
Antwerp is the second-largest city in the linguistically schizophrenic western European country of Belgium.
The northern half comprises Flemish-speaking Flanders and the southern half French-speaking Wallonia. Brussels is the country's bilingual capital and its third semi-autonomous area.
Antwerp (Antwerpen to the Flemish and Anvers to the French, and the eponymous capital of Antwerp province) has sided with Flanders and is encamped along the banks of the River Scheldt in the far north of that region, near the shared border with the Netherlands but still less than 50km (31mi) from Brussels.
A quick glance at a small-scale map might make you think Antwerp is nowhere near the North Sea, but the two are connected by the enormous Berendrechtsluis sea lock, which allows the area to the northwest of the city to host one of the world's biggest ports.
Most of Antwerp is on the east bank of the Scheldt and radiates out from the old city centre, built around the spacious Grote Markt and where most of the attractions await your footsteps. Linking this area with the impressive Centraal train station to the east is the shop-crowded pedestrian thoroughfare called the Meir.
South of the old centre is the up-and-coming neighbourhood of Het Zuid, recently inundated by numerous museums, restaurants and clubs, while to the north is the old sailors' quarter, Schipperskwartier, with more clubs and a clutch of red-lit streets. South of the main train station is the diamond quarter and adjoining Jewish neighbourhood.
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Granted, when it comes to Belgium's metropolitan rankings, Brussels may have all the European Union diplomats and political kudos, Bruges may have World Heritage-listed old streets, and Ghent may have an exuberant population of university students. But only the promotion-shy yet confident city of Antwerp has managed to amalgamate the beautifully preserved Gothic and baroque architecture of a superb medieval centre with the brilliant canvases of local Flemish masters like Pieter Paul Rubens, a supremely busy port, one of the largest gay clubs in Europe, a boldly original fashion scene and enough fine bars and restaurants to satisfy the demanding digestive tract of any gourmet traveller.
The obligatory activities in this diverse, history-wise and engagingly modern city include smearing your face with pralines (filled chocolates), staining your chin with a glass of potent oude jenever (old gin), stuffing your mouth with maatjes (filleted herring) and the original frieten (chips), decorating your ears with some freshly chiselled diamonds and blowing your nose on a lace hankie. One of the best of all the local pursuits is to sit in at least one (but preferably several dozen) of the city's many bars or brown cafes (small pubs) and bend your elbow until you determine which of Belgium's myriad outstanding beers is the finest. Is it Duvel, Orval, Hoegaarden Witbier or Westmalle Triple? You be the judge, though don't plan on staying as sober as one.
Population: 456,700
Country: Belgium
Time Zone: GMT/UTC plus one hour (plus two hours April-October)
Telephone Area Code: 3
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Pros and Cons
- Pros:It's Elegant, Beautiful...The 2nd Largest City In Belgium !
- Cons:Fill With Tourists All Year Long !
- In a nutshell:A Day Trip From Brussels & Stays For A Few Days !
Reviews (11)
The location...
Local Customs
(1)
Just a map of Belgium so that you know where Antwerp is situated. more travel advice
Fun Park...
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..This photo also has some special memory for me...We were at this Fun Park in Antwerp, with lots of merry-go-rounds,... more travel advice
Reg Too...
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..Reg too, wanted to take photo with the guy....Notice the Merry-Go-Round behind them ?.... Maybe some of you could... more travel advice
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.Meeting people is also a way to get to know the place...We met this guy at the bar in Antwerp....asking questions to... more travel advice
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Comments (11)
glad u enjoyed my home town !
Antwerp seems like such a wonderful place to visit.
Looks like you had fun in Antwerp - great city!
Even better then my pages :-) Good job done...!
Antwerp was a great place to visit! Thanks for reminding me!
Somehow... I've been wanting to visit Flanders some day since long ago. Do you know why? Anyway, nice page, pal : )
You right, summer but chilly still sometimes... :)
ah by now you found out where all the pictures has been taken. 10 $ at the 11th Commandment for a dinner? I think that is impossible `-) I bet it is a "bit"colder here then in Malaysia but nevertheless I hope you liked your staying.
Hello Arnaud, thanks for the lovely comments on our city. Great pics , lovely comments. That arch in the back of the tilted photo is an entrance to the cathedral, but I'm sure you know that. Do come back sometime. A lot has and is changing in our city...
The eccentric building is the Stadsschouwburg. The city theatre were you can watch plays, musicals ... Lovely page about my favorite city
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