Day 8 - Antwerp

March 21 -

Got my Dutch on today. On weekends, Inner-Belgian train fares are half off. At 7 euros round trip, I couldn't resist a day trip.

I had never been to Antwerp before except to switch trains for Bruges in 2006, and had been intrigued with visiting the place ever since. Brussels Centraal Station was packed, this half fare is quite popular.

Arrival and Lawbreaking
I arrived at Antwerp Centraal and started my day off with a waffle at the station. When in Dutch country... Thankfully, there was a tourist information booth as I hadn't much of a clue where to begin. There were really no major preparations for this excursion. With map in hand and a general direction to head to, the walk would be a bit far and I wanted to concentrate all physical exertion around the main areas. I took the metro from Centraal, illegally. The train pulled in and I immediately wanted to get on, to the point where I evaded the fare. I'm not going to be proud of this fact, but it was easy, even if I had butterflies in my stomach the whole two minute ride to the designated stop.

Not once in my entire time in Brussels was I asked to present my ticket for the metro and trams. No one asked for my ticket for the trip from Brussels to Antwerp. It's a total honor system. Admittedly, I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I was so insistent on getting on this train that I didn't focus on getting my fare.

Groenplaats and Beyond
Arriving in the Groenplaats there was a gimmicky trolley ride that takes you around Antwerp for only 5 euros. I gladly gave in. It turned out to be fun and I got my bearings around the city much better. Plus, I got to relax my legs and feet a bit more for walking around later. After the ride, I went back to explore some of the places I had noted on the trolley tour, but couldn't find this cool comic mural I had seen and desperately wanted a photo of.

I noticed a lot of cool murals in Belgium, Antwerp especially, including a neat one on Wolstraat. The walk along the boardwalk of the river Schelde was made more beautiful by the sunny weather we were having. Although it was a day trip, it wasn't enough, but it would have to do given the time constraints.

Antwerp's City Hall/Old Market Square (Stadhuis/Grote Markt) is almost as stunning as Brussels' Grand Place. Again, photos do not do this square any justice. I lunched at Brasserie Populaire in Sint-Paulus square, receiving a weird look, along with a quizzical "are you sure?" for requesting milk with tea. Milk poured in tea is just not done with the Dutch.

Hema department store, on the Meir pedestrian street, made another appearance and I purchased a baby outfit for my expecting cousin and some licorice. Later, to my horror, I would discover I had purchased salty licorice instead. Shudder!

Antwerp is a fabulous walking city. There are also tons of cafes for rest and refueling. Walking through the streets, I stumbled upon a silver stall and purchased a heavy pewter toast rack. Each slot for toast is a letter that spells out the word "TOAST". It was my most favorite souvenir this entire trip, setting me back a mere 3 euros for the pleasure of owning it.

The oddest part of my visit were the pit bull breed dogs I saw allover the city. It seems everyone here owns one. They clearly outnumbered all other breeds I'd seen that day.

Walking back to the train station, admiring the drop dead architecture, the skies opened and the heavens appeared - Match supermarket was right in front of me! Anyone who knows me knows very well that a trip isn't complete without a visit to the supermarket to stock up on local goodies. Here I bought spekuloos cookies, Cecemel, a package of fresh waffles from the bakery, and a bunch of other items. Being green, I purchased a Match shopping bag to lug everything back.

I got to accomplish a lot on this day trip: sightseeing, relaxing walks, and shopping.


Dinner and Finishing Up
I arrived back in Brussels in the evening, packed for the early morning departure, and headed out for dinner a block from the hostel, where it seemed to be loaded with non-touristy restaurants. I ate at Le Forestier Chez Hatem, enjoying the plat du jour of lamb in a nice gravy, legumes, and the Belgian version of fancy tater tots. All this for only 10 euros. Another glass of wine and a Belgian beer and I could've done without the cheese platter I ordered, which was a bowl of bland cubes of fromage and cornichons. Aside from the let down of the cheese platter, the lamb dish was probably the second best meal of my entire stay here. The first being the tartine in the D'Orsay cafe.

I reflected on my entire trip and how problem free it had been. Aside from getting lost easily in Brussels, everything went off without a hitch. Paris was amazing and Madrid came through in the short time I was there. Brussels had been a nice, quiet way to end the vacation and Antwerp was a fantastic day trip. The weather had turned colder in Belgium, but it was sunny otherwise. I think that's what I'll remember the most about this trip, the constant sunshine.