ABroad

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Saturday, 11 February 2017

Antwerp - Belgium

14:51:00 No comments
Out of all the places so far, something with Antwerp clicked with me. It has a bit of a trendy coffee culture, it's very cycle friendly and at this point I was really enjoying the Belgium beer and food. From a city perspective, Antwerp is the most likely big city we've visited which could see myself living in. The capital of the flemish province of Belgium and with a population of 510,600, Antwerp is the most populated city of Belgium. Like Switzerland, German and French are also commonly spoken in Belgium but for Antwerp (and all the flemish provinces), Dutch is the offical language.

 In our short couple of days, we learnt a lot about Antwerp and Belgium in general which was pretty interesting since this part of Europe was very prosperous during the 1500's before much of the west had been discovered by the European Explorers. 

 Antwerp Facts:
 - It is home to the second biggest sea port by total freight shipped in Europe, which is interesting given it is 80km inland from the North Sea.
- Between 80 and 90 percent of the world's rough diamonds, and 50 percent of its cut diamonds are traded in Antwerp each year!
- Antwerp Zoo is one of the world's oldest (founded in 1843), housing more then 6000 animals it's located smack bang in the centre of town next to the central railway station.
- The world's first printed newspaper was published here nearly 400 years ago!
Antwerpen-Centraal - considered to be one of the worlds most beautiful railway stations, we can confirm that it was pretty impressive. One thing you can expect throughout Europe is how grand and significant main railway stations are! the buildings are quality and each still hold such an important position in these large cities. They've been built to last and truly impress!
Our accommodation was roughly 25 minutes walk from the train station and around about 40 minutes walk from the old town/city centre through some of the most multicultural areas we've been in since the Balkans (in terms of different ethnic groups). In one of the best Hostels we've stayed in too, which possibly added to my liking toward this city.

abhostel had the best kitchen and general layout of all the hostels we've stayed in yet. And a great quote on the door.
One thing we really liked about this hostel was that we were sharing it with only a handful of guests and a couple of Workawayers, who were volunteering (an Aussie and a Kiwi) in the hostel making beds, cleaning and running the check-ins. It was great to chat to them about the experience (doing a workaways in a hostel) while staying there because there are so many hostel profiles on the Workaway website, and we've always steered clear of them.

 Our plan for Antwerp was to get amongst a walking tour, taste the local beers, waffles and chips. Check out the Christmas Markets and just wander about really, we were graced with some reasonable weather since we were getting up closer to the ocean, and a pretty quiet tourist free time in general. 
Dinner one night.
The most elaborate ice skating rink we've come across yet - featuring a ring of fire around it i suppose to keep spectators warm....
Antwerp's Cathedral of Our Lady and its 100+ metre spire dating back to 1350's.
Previously a fortified city, barely anything remains other then the Het Steen (The Stone) - pictured above. 
POWERRRRRR!!!!!



In the central market area there were these outdoor patio wood fired heaters for people to gather and have a Christmas Market wine or waffles. 
Such a collection of frothies in the beer shops. All very crafty, full flavoured and STRONG!
This statue of a boy and his dog just in front of the cathedral, a tribute to "A Dog of Flanders" novel written in 1872. Despite been set in Belgium, the novel has been a children's classic in Japan and Korea for decades and is considered one of the must see tourist attractions for East-Asian tourists.
Have to get stuck into the handmade chocolates.

 The Antwerp "A" is everywhere around the city, even on chocolate! 
This is interesting - this door belonged to an apartment of one of the local drunks. He added this little key guide to his door lock to help him find the key hole after spending the day on the turps. I like to think that this ingenuity and logical thinking pretty much sums up the Belgiums.
The city is split in half by the Scheldt River. There is three tunnels, one of which is specific for cyclists and pedestrians and features quite a big bike lift to save the cyclist lugging their bikes down the stairs.
Sunset over the river Scheldt.
The Boerentoren high rise was built in 1932 was considered to be Europes's first skyscrapers.
Museum ann de Stroom (Museum by the River) - a 60m architectural designed brick building gives you free access to the top level for views over the city. It was well worth a little cycle out to have a look. Antwerp has a similar city bike hire system to London (first 30min free), over the couple of days we were here we used the bikes to get around a little bit quicker.
Not our photo!
Views looking back to the city centre from the Museum ann de Stroom.
Little holes for trying to fit your head out, also they can be used for sticking the camera out to allow for glass-free photos. They are so logical in this part of Europe. They wouldn't think of this kind of thing in Germany.

Something about the Belgiums and naughty sculptures.
The city dedicates a week and a street each year for street artists to come show their talents. Throughout Europe there is so much of this and when done professionally I reckon its pretty impressive - also turns into a bit of a tourist attraction.

Truely our visit to Antwerp was a bloody good one. It has so much to offer in terms of culture, attractions and just interesting things to see. This area was such a power during the 1500's when spice trading and exporting to a fro Europe, the UK, Africa etc. really started to  kick off. With such a rich history and stunning architecture curated from these golden years, along with its trendy feel (home to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts), there are so many quirky cafe's and bars to spend time in. Everything about our experience here was positive - kudos Antwerp! 
Cheers!
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