We Heart Antwerp

So, as may have been somewhat apparent from Chad's last post, we were a bit disappointed with Ghent.  Maybe it was that the sky was flat grey the whole time, maybe it was our crappy room in a former monastery, maybe it was because Bruges was so awesome.  But after Ghent, even before we even got on the train to Antwerp, we were happy we were going there.  And it turned out that it met all of our expectations (which were pretty low) and more!

A few fun facts about Antwerp before I show you some pictures:
1) It is the second largest port in Europe (and those who know me well know I love ports!)
2) It is one of the most polluted cities in Europe in terms of air pollution.  A major contributor is the very busy motorways that go smack dab through the middle of the city as well as around it.
3) More than 70% of the world's diamonds are traded in Antwerp - more than 85% of the rough diamonds, 50% of cut diamonds, and 40% of industrial diamonds.
4) It's not Ghent (okay, enough with the Ghent hate - it really wasn't that bad, I promise!)

Plus, it is a super fun city with lots of outdoor cafes, things to see, and cool neighbourhoods.

One of the main sights is actually the central train station.  In 2009 Newsweek ranked it fourth in their list of 'World's Most Beautiful Train Stations'.  It's old and beautiful and has lots of shops - including diamond stores - and places to eat.  It also has four levels for trains to come in and depart; we arrived four floors above where we departed!

The Palace of Justice, just around the corner from our hotel, and topped with sails just like the Pan Pacific.  Built in 2006, the architect was inspired by a butterfly but most locals think the sails look more like sharks, the devil's horns, or a bag of fries.

In July 2011 the city launched a program where you can rent bikes for cheap in half hour increments - you pick them up in one place and drop them off wherever there's another station.  We didn't use them, but apparently it's been a wild success and bike stands are everywhere.

Along the river Schelde.  This barge was called the Love Boat.

Another fun must do is to head to the left bank (the Linkeroever) via an 80-year-old pedestrian tunnel under the river.

Wooden escalators take pedestrians many metres below ground.  There's also a huge elevator to take bikes, baby carriages, and whatever else won't fit on the escalator.

The tunnel is over 500 metres long.  It's nice and cool down there.  Since it was finally sunny and warm, this was a much appreciated break from the heat!

The tunnel's vital statistics.  And, below, your reward on the other side - a panorama of the city!

After soaking up some sunshine and views, we headed back downtown.

Old and new, together at last.

It's a castle!  Okay, it's a former fortress (in the 1200s), then prison, then shipping museum, then party spot, then children's space.

Every castle needs a friendly giant.  It's famous - they have paintings in the grocery store - but we don't know why.

Roofs on the old shipping buildings with the new city in the background.

The very old meat market building.  The bricks were layered white and red to look like bacon. Mmmm - (soy) bacon.

It may surprise you, but we also decided to get some beer while we were out and about.  Cafes are not hard to come by, but patio space sure was!

De Koninck is Antwerp's local beer.  I tried a few just to make sure it tastes as good in Belgium as it does at home (it tastes better!)

Our last big stop of the day was the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS, the museum near the stream).  It opened in May 2011 and has phenomenal views of the city from the roof, as well as being a cool building in its own right.  The museum closes at 5 pm, but you can go up to the top until 11 pm most nights to check out the view.

Such a fun first day - and we still had a second to go!