I've spent time in Brussels and Bruges and always planned to see Antwerp someday. It was worth the wait! We travel from London to Brussels via Eurostar, and to Antwerp by a local train.
The Antwerp rail station resembles a cathedral.
My visit coincided with the Antwerp Book Fair. Our friend Terry, aka bestselling author Tess Gerritsen, was featured at the fair. So we got together for dinner one night.
The bus stop across from our hotel made me hungry for Nutella--a former addiction of mine.
Antwerp is a centre of the diamond trade. Its Diamond Museum was my first stop as a tourist. I had the opportunity to discuss old cut diamonds with a diamond cutter, and trace the storied history of the most popular and valuable gemstone.
The cathedral.
Cathedral arch.
Around every corner, a magnificent view.
The old Market Square is extremely picturesque.
Ornate rooftops of the market buildings.
Decoration on the town well.
Antwerp is a port, of great historic importance.
A statue adorning the bridge.
This castle is now a museum.
The Vleeshuis, or Flesh/Meat House, was the Butchers' Hall, built 500 years ago to resemble streaky bacon. Clever!
Another of the things for which Belgium is famous--beer. This shop boasted of having 260 varieites. I need only one--Framboise, the raspberry-flavoured one, is my favourite.
A side street view.
A black and white setting for my black and white attire.
We retraced our path to Brussels and back to London, for further adventures.
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