Getting around Europe is pretty easy. You can take a train just about anywhere. We walked into the train station and purchased a ticket from Brussels to Antwerp Centraal. Within the hour, we were there.
Do a little research and find hotels that are close to the train station. We walked only a couple blocks each time which is helpful when you are carrying luggage. I chose the more Centraal train stop as it is in the middle of the city. I usually don’t carry a lot when I travel but after winning a class set of VR cubes, my pack is heavier. Okay, I also did buy 4 pairs of shoes and am bringing back a couple more shirts… Quite the workout…
The inside of Antwerp station is beautiful.
We walked to the hotel and unloaded our stuff, charged the phones a bit, and planned the afternoon and evening.
On the walk to see the sights we had chosen, we saw a few interesting sculptures.
Hehe… What my parents used to call me…
Next we visited the botanical gardens. This looks like a Christmas tree (like the artificial kind), but up close it is different…
That was the tips of the tree. They look different but they were hurtful to touch like sharp needles.
This sculpture was really cool.
Of course, statues and art…
De Kathedraal. It is sad that they built other buildings so close to it.
Some of the buildings we saw along the way…
Hidden passageways through doors leading to back alleyways. The sign “Vlaeykensgang” marks where the door is. I know there are more than one.
Grote market. Grote means great.
In the center of Grote market is Brabo fountain. The water was turned off that day. In fact there is a lot of construction here and in Brussels. The history of the fountain according to Wikipedia:
The reason is the legend of the name of the city, in which it is said that the giant Druon Antigoon cut off a hand to all the ship captains who moored in the area and refused to pay toll, then throwing it to the Scheldt. The captain of the Roman army Brabo cut off the giant’s hand imitating what he had done. The fountain reflects the moment when the Brabo throws the giant’s hand into the river.[1][2][3]According to this legend, the etymology of the name of the city Antwerp is a composition of the Dutch words “(h)ant” (hand) and “werpen” (launch).[
The sculpture dates to 1887. There is a lot going on in the sculpture with animals (sources of the water) and the giants hand being cut off and thrown.
Dinner was at an Ethiopian restaurant called Little Ethiopia. It was on a side street of if Grote Market. Their food was amazing.
After dinner we went in search of Het Steen castle. Unfortunately it is under construction inside until July 2020.
Along the river Scheldt there are many windmills around the port.
I love all of the stone paths and streets in these cities. We cast a long shadow at the end of the day.
Another beautiful church…
And another…
We also saw what reminds me of Gringotts bank from Harry Potter. And… It actually is a bank… Nationale Bank Van Belgie.
Tomorrow we tour a couple more places in Antwerp and then travel for the last night in Amsterdam. Only one more day and I head back to China. I can’t believe school starts August 5th.