(Part 4) Belgium the Premium: Werkin' It in Antwerp!!

- July 20, 2019, Saturday.

- "Shine bright like a diamond, we're beautiful like diamonds in the sky." - Rihanna ("Diamonds", 2012). This was the first song I thought of during the 40-minute train trip from Brussels to Antwerp. Antwerp is known as Belgium's shopping city - known for its rows of fashion stores and of course, diamonds! Historically, Antwerp has also kept this reputation of being a trade city as it is at the crossroads of many kingdoms and nations, and the fact that its has one of the largest ports in Europe.

- From Antwerp's main station, one can either walk all the way to the city center, or ride the metro to Groenplaats Station (lines 2, 3, 5, or 15) as most tourist spots are in the vicinity of that square. Since my mom and I wanted the fast way to the center, we rode the metro, and afterwards, walked to Grote Markt to see the city hall. Unfortunately, the 16th-century city hall was being renovated when I arrived, so I wasn't able to see its beauty. Despite that, the guildhalls beside it were thankfully fine for photos.

Inside the station. It's one of the nicest stations in Europe that I've seen.

Nello and Patrasche Statue in front of the Onze Lieve Vrouwkathedraal (Cathedral of Our Notre Dame.)

City hall, under construction. At least they covered it with boards that make people see how it would look like normally.

Guildhalls on a chilly rainy morning.

Old houses and guild halls between Grote Markt and Kaasrui.

- We headed towards the banks of the Scheldt River to visit the 16th-century fortress called Het Steen. However, this too, was being renovated. On a normal day, this would look like a small fairy-tale castle with a nice view of the river beside it. Sad that we weren't able to take photos with this small but glorious castle, we took photos of an old-style bridge with the goddess Minerva on top.

Het Steen.

The bridge to Minerva's statue (you can see the Minerva statue at the right side of the photo.) 

- Walking back to the city center, I searched for a small alley connecting the two streets of Hogstraat and Pelgrimstraat. Called "Vlaeykensgang," this alley preserves its 16th-century look and feel, though it is now lined with antique stores or small cafes instead of shoemakers and people from the lower classes during early modern Belgium.

Vlaeykensgang.

A tunnel that brings you back in time..

This building was built in 1591.

The more "famous" side of Vlaeykensgang.

I look like a neighborhood uncle.

- Having much time to spare, we took a detour and passed by the 16th-century St. Paul's Church (Sint-Pauluskerk) and the nearby "vleeshuis" or the old meat shop that now houses a musical instrument museum. I didn't bother going inside the music instrument anymore since I visited a big one in Brussels already (click here).

Vleeshuis.

St. Paul's Church.

- Later on, we went inside the main cathedral of the city - Onze Lieve Vrouwkathedraal (Cathedral of Our Lady.) Built nearly 200 years in the 14th-16th centuries, this church looks unusual because of its asymmetric architecture. One tower is lower than the other since the lower tower was never finished due to circumstances like a fire and the different wars through history. Despite its unique look, it boasts as one of the tallest cathedrals in Belgium, a UNESCO world heritage site, and a treasure chest of art as many of its paintings and stained-glass windows were painted/designed by Dutch master Peter Paul Rubens.

See how the two towers are uneven?

Main hall.

These are life-sized statues.

Altar.

These ceiling details are from the 16th century.

Stained glass windows.

From the inner courtyard.

Look at the immense detail!!

Monument to the Jan and Pieter Applemans, the builders of the cathedral.

- We had an early lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant to beat the tourist crowd, before journeying through the winding streets of Antwerp to see the St. Charles Borromeo Church (Sint-Carolus Borromeuskerk.) This Baroque-style church from the 17th century was initially made to be a Jesuit Church. However, the church was closed when I went there so I was only able to see it from the outside. However, do know that just like the Onze Lieve Vrouwkathedraal, it boasts ceiling paintings and other artwork made by Dutch master Peter Paul Rubens.

The tower at the back is called the KBC Tower or Boerentoren. It was built in the 1930s and is the second tallest structure in Antwerp after Onze Lieve Vrouwkathedraal. It was the first skyscraper in Europe, and remained the tallest in Belgium for three decades, and was used as a bank. This structure is said to be based from the Empire State building in New York.

Sint-Carolus Borromeuskerk.

Jesuit.

- Finally, we visited St. James' Church (Sint-Jacobskerk), a Gothic church made in the late 15th century. Though it was also closed and being renovated when I went there, I was keen on visiting this church because it is where Peter Paul Rubens was buried (fun fact: I like visiting graves of famous people because I feel like I'm in contact with "history" and it's the closest I'll ever be to see them since they're dead.) I also learned that this church used to be a hostel for pilgrims embarking on a journey to Spain's Santiago de Compostela, the main destination of the St. James pilgrimage in Europe.

St. James' Church.

- On the way back to the train station, my mom and I spent some time at the main shopping area of Meir Street. Many big clothing brands are there, and it was extra crowded since it was sale season. At the train station, we also spent some time taking photos since it was still quite early (around 2pm?)

Meir.

Antwerp Station and a ferris wheel.

Inside Antwerp Station.

- I found Antwerp interesting and I almost decided not to visit it since I was worried that my mom would be tired after all the day trips we had been doing for the past few days. Thankfully we decided to visit this wonderful city. We actually only visit the main center of Antwerp, but I have read before that the southern part of the city has other things to discover and more museums to explore. Also, most of the important sites were either under renovation or were closed when we visited, so I'm hoping that I'll get to see Antwerp again one day since I have lots of reasons to do so!

- Please don't forget to read all about my other adventures in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg here!!

THE NETHERLANDS

Part 1, Amsterdam: here, and here

Part 2, Zaanse Schans: here

Part 3, The Hague/Den Haag: here

Part 4, Haarlem: here

Part 5, Hoorn: here


BELGIUM

Part 1 and 5, Brussels: here, and here

Part 2, Ghent/Gent: here

Part 3, Bruges/Brugge: here


LUXEMBOURG: here