Category Archives: Antwerp

Off We Go (Again)!

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We are (soon to be were) staying in a place with no blackout curtains and, in fact, the room is incredibly bright in the morning because the white, rather cheap, blinds seem to bring in tons of light. I love light, but the light wakes us up earlier than we are currently used to. I think this hotel could use blackout drapes or they could put a curtain up between the sleeping area and the living area and all would be well. It’s not a huge issue, but I’m surprised they haven’t thought of that! I think they should hire me. My only requirement is that payment would be a week’s stay. That’s not asking too much, right?

But so our day began … earlier than usual, but that doesn’t mean we got dressed and went out earlier. Nothing is open, after all, so we couldn’t get any coffee aside from the coffee provided in our room. ​

While we waited to get out for our morning breakfast Dan worked on his computer (I’m assuming he was updating his journal) and I packed. I just like to be ready incredibly early, as you must know by now. I also did a few of my games (the Wordle steak continues, and I have a mini-streak with Connections). While all this was going on the dove’s cooing had an addition: somewhere close by construction is going on. Loudly. That’s one way to get us out of the room! Dan just had a few things to do (he doesn’t seem to want to go out in his pjs), and then out we went.

We went a different direction, away from the historic center, and had our breakfast in Antoine’s. Surely you know it. Or not. I had my cappuccino as well as carrot cake. Yes. Cake. Don’t judge. (Or is it too late to make that request?) We’ve noticed cake being served at breakfast while on this trip, but this was the first time I tried some. It wasn’t as sweet as our carrot cake at home, and it was quite good.

After breakfast we walked just a bit, investigating this new (to us) area. Nothing remarkable, but I always enjoy a walk.

Then back to our room so Dan could do his journaling — something I thought he was doing earlier. I was wrong — unbelievable, but true. Or maybe too believable. Hm?

Finally it was time to get to the train station. Not that our tickets are for a specific time. Our senior tickets apparently are for any time after 9:00, and if I understand correctly we could even go to our next destination and come back here for the same price as a one way ticket. The price for any senior ticket is 8.50€ which seems like quite the deal. (And did I already write about that? Oh probably ….)

We checked out of the hotel, thanked and said our goodbyes to the owner, and went to the metro station. Dan had done his research: we weren’t about to pay that over 30€ fee again! It was fairly easy to find our (underground) train, and we boarded. Due to Dan’s research we knew we could use our watches to pay. Or so he, and later I, read. We tried a number of times and couldn’t get the machine to read things. I tried my phone. Nope. So we just gave up and figured we’d explain our issue to the person who checks for tickets. That person never came. Whew! But honestly (I mean honestly!) we would have been happy to pay. Dan reread the instructions later on and we did follow them completely! (But maybe this makes up a little bit for the costly taxi ride?)

Reaching the train station we found out what track we needed to reach, and looked a bit for a possible lunch spot, but nothing appealed so we just waited by our track. It wasn’t a long wait in any case.

We got on our train and the ride (probably about forty minutes) went just fine. After we exited the tunnel at the station I noticed it was raining. Of course our weather apps said no rain today. I did see a few young men play the ticket-taker-avoidance game, but that was actually unnecessary: no one ever checked out tickets. A young woman came by at one point, leaving us a card in Dutch. We had the same thing happen on our way to Brugge although that time it was a young man. The card (run through the translation app) says they are from a different country and goes on a bit and of course they want money. Eventually they come back, waiting and hoping for money, and then they take the card back. Here in Belgium we do see people sitting down with signs asking for money, but aside from the two on the train I don’t recall anyone actually coming up to us. Oh … but I may have neglected to correct myself about earlier: I think I wrote that no one came up to us (but was it in Spain, Portugal, or both?) and should have updated that since later some people did get a bit more forward about asking for money. Sad times for so many.

I did take only a few shots before, during, and after the train ride. And yes, I still love trains!

And then we arrived at our final European destination.

Hello Brussels!

We decided we could handle the 1/2 mile walk to the hotel, so we made our way there. So much to see already!

We checked in, and since the room wasn’t ready we dropped off our packs and went to find lunch. We ended up on the Grand-Place, which is a major tourist spot, but of course it’s something one must see. When it began to sprinkle we decided we just had to get in to the nearest decent place and that’s just what we did. The man who seated us (perhaps the owner … he seemed like it) was very nice and quite funny. That seems to be the norm in this country. after lunch we walked some more.

Shorty after these photos we were walking but Dan stopped suddenly because a woman was taking a photo of her friend. Another couple — younger than us, but who isn’t? — ran up to join the photo as a joke. Then Dan pretended he was going to as well and the person taking the photo gestured (I don’t think she spoke English and I’m guessing she spoke a kind of Chinese) as if to say, “join them!” So we both did. I’m sorry, now, that I didn’t think to have her take a photo with my camera a well. Darn!

Just a bit more walking transpired and only a few photos were made.

When we got back to our hotel we could get into our room. It’s a fine room, and while there is noise outside it’s not at all bothersome in the room itself. Oh, and the amenities basket has four “vanity kits” this time. I’m trying not to read anything into that, but I’m vain enough to think it has something to do with me.

But let’s talk about showers, shall we? I can’t tell you how many showers I’ve used that leak water outside the shower on to the bathroom floor. It drives me bonkers. Yes, more bonkers than I already am. Really.

And yes, I took a shower and did a small amount of laundry. Dan napped. Later I continued with today’s entry. (And again we have a problem with loading photos. It’s odd since I do have a good connection at this hotel.) Dan showered. And did some laundry. He even used his little portable clothesline and hung things up in the shower.

That is how exciting we are.

Eventually we decided it was time to do the dinner hunt. We both had looked up restaurants online, but hadn’t decided what we wanted or where we’d land. I just knew I did not want fries again. So off we went. And we saw so many restaurants: Indian, Thai, Italian, French, and the doesn’t-quality-as-decent-food McDonald’s and KFC. Of course there were other places as well. Nothing, as I told Dan, was calling out, “Patty, Patty, Patty”, so we kept walking. (He’s a patient sort, I must admit!)

Finally, as we were heading back the way we came, I suggested going down a side street. There we did see a place that looked nice (and they had duck!) but I thought it was too expensive. Dan, being wise and all, reminded me that things were just going to cost more here. Belgium is most definitely not Portugal or Spain! So while we walked by the “duck place” we went right back and were taken inside to a table for two. Decision made.

My duck was different than I’m used to. It was between two layers of potato, and there was a sweet sauce around it. And wow … vegetables! I don’t think I’ve had broccoli on this trip before, nor cauliflower. What a treat! Dan had the seared ahi. Here they really cook it through a lot more than at home, but I tasted it and it was yummy. (I took two photos of Dan as well and it is so very odd but they have disappeared! I know I took them … I even showed them to Dan. It’s a mystery, but I guess no one will ever see them. Rats!)

Then, because one must do what one must do, we had to buy chocolate for dessert. From there the walk back to our hotel was quick.

As I type this I see Dan has devoured his. I ate on of mine (I have three left). I’m not sure if that means he won or I did. I’ll have to think on that.

And now it’s getting late and I’m tired. I’m not sure yet what tomorrow will bring, but you can bet I’ll write about it and post our adventures tomorrow night. I’m predictable that way.

Bonne nuit!

Sunday in Antwerp

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I really should be more careful about planning trips: having our only full day in Antwerp on a Sunday might not have been the smartest thing to do. Still, we found things open (and were surprised that an organ concert would occur at 11:45 in the morning at a cathedral!).

(Side note: I feel rather short here. There are a whole lot of tall women in Antwerp, it seems. Go

And now to our day: We woke (obviously — I wouldn’t be typing this if I never woke up) and I did a search on coffee shops because a number aren’t open on Sunday. I saw absolutely zero that opened before 8:30, and most opened at 10:00. So the 8:30 choice was our first destination. By the time we got there it was after 9:00, but since that was our destination it’s where we went. We of course had our coffees and extremely healthy rolls. I laughed at the note at the bottom of the menu.

Then the church bells went off. For a long time. I only recorded them for a short while, but you get the idea.

Following that we walked toward the water. First on our list was the Het Steen Castle. I had read that it was something to be seen on the outside, but that we could skip the inside tourist bit, so that’s what we did.

Right next to the no-longer-really-a-castle was this area that is being worked on. It’s rather large, and we wondered if it was the area that was bombed during WWII. (Dan had read that they got hit hard near at the river.) I’ll have to read up on it, but I can tell that eventually it’s going to be a huge spot and I think it’ll be quite nice. Odds are we will never see it, though. There is a memorial with a lot of names to those who died in the war (or wars?) And there is a larger memorial with a statue as well. Anyway, I’ll just post all that I took from that area here and from our walk back into the old district.

We walked to St. Paul’s, but there was a mass going on so we couldn’t enter. (We did hear the organ playing for a bit, though.)

Then more walking …

Until we reached a place of utmost importance.

From there we crossed the square and went into De Kathedraal (Church of Our Lady) because I had read there would be an organ recital at 11:45. I wasn’t sure which organ would be playing at first (there is one in the back of the cathedral and one toward the front) but when we figured that out we sat in seats where we could see the organ — but of course we couldn’t see the musician until the end, when he took his bow. Prior to the start someone came and spoke to us. In Dutch. Now maybe he said, “Don’t applaud until the end.” I don’t know, but I sort of hope so since that’s what happened. We heard six works, including one by the organist himself, Wannes Vandrhoeven, but there was absolute silence between the works and I wasn’t going to be the one to break that silence! (I used to have to do that on occasion at concerts at UCSC when I was teaching there: students were too afraid to applaud until someone started it. But that was not my job today.)

After the recital we spent some time inside the cathedral.

Then we walked over to Het Elfde Gebod (The Eleventh Commandment). I had read that it was a very old place, and one should get a drink there. We actually had lunch as well. It is definitely a place with character. Lots and lots of character.

From there we went a direction we hadn’t gone before, just to see what we might find. It included signs that made me smile, so I include them here.

Then, in keeping with our tradition, we went back to our hotel for some blogging and siesta time. Plus coffee and chocolates. When we got to our room we saw that it had been tidied just a wee bit. I thought if we didn’t put the little tassle on the outside of the door it would mean we didn’t need housekeeping, but I might have misunderstood. The room was barely in need of cleaning, but oh well.

While we were in our room I decided to file for our late train money. Heh. Never mind. Renfe says I get no refund and seems to imply the train wasn’t late. That’s so not true, but how can one argue? So much for the train guarantee. But so it goes — I can’t let that ruin a fabulous trip, can I? Nope. That won’t happen! I’ll just have to have an extra piece of chocolate. Chocolate fixes so many things!

We did purchase train tickets for tomorrow from the Antwerp Central Station to … well you know I’m not going to say! You have to wait for that. Besides, maybe something will happen and we won’t get there. You never know!

After hanging out in our room for a bit we decided to go to dinner. We’d looked online for suggestions, and yesterday I’d gotten some from the owner of this place where we are staying, but what he suggested was over what we wanted to pay, and what we saw online didn’t scream “HERE” to us, so we just opted to walk back to the touristy part of the area and see what we found.

We found Italian food.

Yep, we ate pasta in Belgium. But hey, I’ll just bet the Belgians eat pasta as well, so whatever. I ordered the penne arabiata and, indeed it was angry. As in spicy. But good spicy. Dan had something with shrimp that was spicy as well, but I think mine won. At the end of our meal the waiter brought is limoncello for free, so who can turn that down? (And having it again made me wonder what I’m doing wrong with the stuff I made at home, as it isn’t nearly as good.)

Dinner was good, but, well, um … okay, okay, I confess we also had gelato. Because. (That’s the only good reason I can give you but isn’t because enough?)

As we were getting our gelato two men from the area were buying theirs and somehow we ended up chatting. They were quite friendly. One told us he had visited the states when he was younger and enjoyed it but, and he apologized then to me for what he was going to say, he was disappointed because he was at “that age” and he met no girls. It was pretty funny!

Finally back to the hotel we went. I only took this one photo and earlier the statue holding up his fingers was holding something. Something that wasn’t part of the statue — it just looked like some pipes or something to me, but perhaps it meant something to the person who put it there. Who knows? This time that was gone so someone must keep an eye on things and remove any additions! (I think of those orange cones on the statues in Glasgow.)

We don’t have to pack tonight since we don’t have to check out until 11:00. But of course I’m already nearly packed because control freak me does that. When we are on a trip I always set out whatever I’m going to wear the next day after getting in pjs, and then I pack everything but toiletries and pjs. It’s just how I operate. I’m goofy that way.

As I type this final bit I am hearing horrendous pounding, which I am assuming is music of some sort and I’m hearing the bass and/or drums. I can’t tell if it’s above us or somewhere outside, but I am hoping it doesn’t continue for too long. I do have one advantage over some people, though: if it keeps on going I’ll just sleep on the side that means my nearly deaf ear is exposed and I probably won’t hear a thing. It’s that silver lining thing.

Goodnight for now … and see you when we reach our next destination!

PS The pounding has stopped!

Goodbye Bruges

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We began our day with our 7:00 alarm because we were meeting up in Jan and Greg’s room for pastries and coffee (thanks, you two!). They needed to get on the road early, as they had a long drive ahead of them. We then said our goodbyes until next time (which happens to be this coming November, but not in either their neck of the woods — as in Heidelberg — or ours). I’m just so very glad we could meet up for this brief time!

We didn’t yet have our train scheduled, but it appeared easy to figure out (wish I’d investigated this prior to our Brussels to Bruges train because I think we paid quite a bit more than necessary … hindsight!). Dan was (I think) writing in his journal so, since I was packed once we brushed our teeth (I’m the carrier of the toothbrush and toothpaste: it’s a tough job, but I am willing to go the extra mile) I sat around a bit. Dan suggested I go out on a walk while he packed and that sounded like an excellent idea to me.

I went out our hotel door and, for the first time, turned left instead of right. Flowers were there, calling out to the camera, and then I continued on my way. Obviously we didn’t explore nearly anywhere close to the All of It in our area. Ah well. Too late now!

Dan met up with me while I was walking (we use “Find My” to locate each other — it’s very handy on trips like this!), and we walked only small bit more and then went back to the room so we could gather up everything and go to check out. Then we only had to wait for the cab.

The drive to the train station was uneventful, Dan paid the driver (who mentioned a tip, which is the first time we’ve been asked, I think), Dan paid said tip, and then into the station we went.

We had time to spare (very good for my stress level), so we bought lunch there, sat and ate that. Not bad for train station food!

When it was close to time went up to track #9. Shortly after the train arrived, and in we went. We are in second class (gasp!) and it is absolutely fine. I only took a few photos — train photos are just so meh. You’ll see a photo of my backpack between seats. I just wanted to show that and explain that the racks above are frequently incapable of holding our packs (or people’s roller luggage) and I was shown some time ago about putting them between seats. Just a little fyi.

We arrived at our new city …

Hello Antwerp!

Dan said he’d read about the train station: the trains tunnel in so they could keep the old station above. It’s very cool!

We called a cab, having decided we hadn’t quite figured out the tram. That was a costly mistake! For the short ride (but somewhat traffic-filled) we spent over 31€. Ouch! I commented on the expense and the driver (very nice man from Afghanistan — he told us he had worked for the US, British, and Belgians during the war and I’m betting he had no choice but to leave his country. Maybe Dan will clarify if I’m getting this wrong!) showed me the posted notice on the window and explained they raised the price because drivers had been (if I understood him correctly) kind of vying for rides and it was unpleasant. Or something like that. I didn’t tell him that paying 31€ for a short ride in a slow moving machine was unpleasant as well. What good would it do?

And then to our hotel. Or inn. Or whatever this is called. Our room is huge. And nearly everything is just out in the open — the tub, the shower, and it has a mini-kitchen (as if we’d cook). Thankfully the toilet has a solid door. Call me old and boring, but I prefer to have more privacy. I had written to the place when I was figuring out where to stay because the best room, on the top floor, clearly had a toilet that was fully visible by anyone else in the room. No thanks!

We ate our little chocolates that were on our bed — hooray, marzipan! — sat around a bit, and eventually decided it was time to explore. We are just outside the old part of the city and, in fact, Dan says this is the fashion district. I do hope they don’t kick us out! We walked outside and … yikes is it warm here! I’m a fan of upper 50°s and 60°s. But 77°? No thanks! Alas, I will have to cope.

There are some astounding buildings, and the most so is the church near the square, the Cathedral of our Lady. It’s nearly impossible to get a photo it’s so tall. We haven’t gone inside yet, but I’m thinking that might happen tomorrow. We continued our walk until we decided a snack was in order.

From there we ambled our way back to our room. It’s going to take me some time to adjust to this heat, I think.

We took a rest in our room, and eventually decided we should get dinner. In all honesty I could have skipped dinner after our snack, but I know I’m odd that way. As we left the hotel I noticed a man going out was carrying an umbrella. Really?! Well, turns out there actually was a chance of rain, the weather had cooled slightly, and it was pretty comfortable outside.

Now there are so very many places to eat, but us being us, we really couldn’t figure out where to go. Being in the tourist section so much is overpriced, and other things are rated poorly. Eventually we just decided to go to a burger place called Manhattn (yes, really), and have chicken burgers. Believe it or not I’ve had so many fries I opted for the cole slaw instead! I’m hoping that tomorrow we choose something a little more interesting, but I think a train ride and a cab ride and just being a bit out of it meant we had little energy to really get creative or adventurous.

Back to the hotel we went. You can barely notice the door to this place, and yes, there are stairs, but there is also an elevator. We are superior in case you are wondering. (Deluxe costs more.) I like being superior in my humble sort of way. The last photo below is looking down from our floor. Just because.

It’s now only a bit after 21:00, and as I’m rather full I’ll have to try and stay up longer or I’ll not sleep well at all. I’ll sign off here, though.

Goodnight!