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| The station was built in 1905 in the Baroque style, and is now known as the finest example of railway architecture in Belgium |
Antwerp is the 2nd-most populous city in Brussels (after the capital of Brussels) and had plenty to offer.
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| St. George Church dates back to 1201 but had to be rebuilt in 1853 in the Neo-Gothic style |
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| Graffiti alley, marked up by some of Belgium's best graffiti artists |
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| Street youths |
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| More about that church later |
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| An 80-year-old pedestrian tunnel took us underneath the river and to other bank, where we could get a nice view of the city |
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| Can't visit Belgium without trying some chocolate. I would bring some home to share, of course, but it goes bad quickly since it has no preservatives |
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| The Cathedral of Our Lady was originally supposed to have 2 123-meter towers, but only the left ever got finished. The gothic structure was threatened by war, fire, looting, and the French (who almost decided to tear it down). It was built from 1352 to 1521 |
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| Now we're in Grote Markt, the main town square. These are the guild houses, although they are not original - most of this square burned down in 1576 |
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| The bronze fountain in Grote Markt refers to the legend of Brabo. Once upon a time, a giant called Duon Antigoon captured a fortress that stood on an island in the middle of the nearby river Scheldt. He drove away the islanders and exacted a toll on passing sailors, brutally severing the hands of anyone who refused to pay. The Roman hero Brabo overcame the giant and cut off his hand, throwing it into the river. Throwing means "werpen" in Dutch, so some say this "hand werpen" was the origin of Antwerp's name |
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| Belgium is serious about its beer. Even more serious than Germany, dare I say. Everywhere you look there's at least two or three pubs right in front of you. The beer tastes amazing to boot. This is a "Kwak," served in a distinctively rounded glass |
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| This is the Vlaeykensgang, a hidden 16th-century alley where the poorest of the poor used to live. It was traditionally home to cobblers but now hosts exclusive restaurants and shops |
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| I live for this time of day. Time to get to work and take some sweet photos |
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| Cathedral of Our Lady from Grote Markt |
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| The City Hall was built in 1565 and incorporates Flemish and Italian influences. It is on UNESCO's World Heritage list |
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| Grote Markt |
That does it for Antwerp. We completed our blitz of the city in just one half-day! We unwound with some more delicious Belgian beer in the shadow of the Cathedral of Our Lady later that night. (That is, if the cathedral had a shadow at night.) We all really enjoyed Antwerp - for most of us, it was our favorite city of the trip. You be the judge - I cover Brussels in the next post.