Belgium & Netherlands - Antwerp

Compared to quaint Bruges, Antwerp had an element of grandeur, though both were equally elegant. Again, all the Christmas markets really added to the atmosphere. I was really glad we were travelling during the Christmas period :) It's just gave me such a wonderful feeling! And of course we indulged in some of the goodies - like this fabulously sinful cherry & whipped cream waffle! (I didn't eat the whole thing on my own lah!)












The symbol for Antwerp is a shining A! Probably cos Antwerp is famous for its diamond industry. We went to check out the diamond museum, which gives all the background on mining diamonds, polishing, cutting, and interestingly, even on the cultural aspect of it - a significant part of their collection featured hip hop icons, and bling-bling style jewellery! :) And yes, Jon's Mr T was featured! :)










Even though it's one of the largest cities in Belgium, it was really quite small. From almost anywhere in the heart of the city you could see the tower of the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Cathedral. Of course there are some places in the outskirts that you need to take public transport to get to, but it really isn't all that far.










We walked the promenade on the first day, and it reminded me of New York! :) For reason it felt like I was looking over to New Jersey. Anyway, once you turn around and see the cathedral you'll be promptly reminded that you're in Antwerp.



















The Grote Markt was a real highlight. It was cosy yet grand. Cosy because the square isn't very large, plus there was a large crowd at the Christmas market; grand because the buildings around the square are topped with gold statues - St George killing the dragon, an eagle, some soldiers, etc - and they gleam gloriously in the sun :p












We went to check out the fine art museum to see the work of Pieter Paul Rubens, the darling son of Antwerp. The museum was quite compact, and we managed to cover the collections that we wanted to see :) I found that although Rubens was the main highlight, I thought some of Jacob Jordaens' work was more impressive. Dramatic and emotive, I felt his paintings really leapt out at you, and you could almost see the figures moving.






















Antwerp is known for its shopping, so we wandered through the shopping area as well. There was this shoe shop that the Lonely Planet hailed as the best shoe shop in Belgium, so of course I had to check it out. But, oh man, it's not a place for shoppers like me. Each pair was around 400 Euros or so, some much more! So it was a look, even touch, but not bring home kinda place. Can't really remember the name of the shop, I don't see a point! ;)












Check out this knife holder we saw in one of the shop windows! Poor man...so hated...










I also had a go at being a Paparazzi! An animal paparazzi that is. I stalked a dog through a section of the shopping district! It was HUGE. I was trying to take a nice photo of him, but he kept moving! So at one point I was literally running after the dog trying to get a shot of him. The best shot I got was a silhouette of him, but you can really see how big he is. If he stands on his hind legs he'll tower even over Jon!










One shop we came across had the most interesting shop sign I've seen! IKKS had it's sign mounted on a wall that had water flowing down it. But on top of that, streams of water were flowing into the alphabets which were hollowed out like buckets. So every now and then when the letters filled up with water, they would tip over and the water would splash out into the drain below. Each letter tips at different times because of the different sizes of the alphabet-buckets. I managed to catch a photo of the before and after, take a look!










Another quirky place we went to see was the street called Cogels Osylei, famed for the diverse architectural styles. At some point the residents there decided to each out-do one another in how weird and wonderful their houses could be. As a result on that street alone you can find anything from Art Deco to Gothic, fanciful to just fantasy! All elements like stained glass, turret roofs, sculptures, balconies, mosaic..you name it, it's probably somewhere on that street. Some houses even have names like 'The Sunflower' or 'Morning Star'. Quite an interesting walk down from one end to the other just ogling at the houses.
























Well, how can I end off Antwerp without mentioning the food? It was excellent! The best find in the city - stoemp! Stoemp is belgian mashed potatoes, which are incredibly smooth, and usually have some sort of vegetable mixed in. You can choose to have carrots, leek, cabbage, etc., in your stoemp. The first night we had dinner at Eethuisje De Stoemppot, famous for their stoemp. It's served in mounds, and the stoemp is so good that many people have seconds (which is a lot!), or order it over and above their main course! We also tried traditional Belgian beef stew, which was again wonderful!












Second night, we went to a restaurant called the Walrus, also known for it's good food. And again we were not disappointed! We tried horse steak, and it really does taste different from beef, lamb, chicken, etc. It's flavourful, but not overpowering. More subtle than lamb, more complex than beef. Yummy. And of course, more stoemp!












And to top it all off, beer! We tried Westmalle Duvel and had some Hoegaarden, which somehow does taste better there :)