From Beirut to Jupiter: Belgium Part 2

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Belgium Part 2 - Antwerp in Sunshine

Antwerp train station

We had watched the first Caps playoff game in the airport before we departed, and we watched the second in our Antwerp hotel room because by the time they played, we were wide awake. That is a very different thing than the first time I was in Antwerp, when we barely had the internet, let alone streaming live sporting events. It's funny to think about, really. It makes it seem longer than it really has been because life is so different now. One thing that is different that you won't notice is that people don't spend all day on their phones like Americans do. You don't see people whipping out their phones at restaurants or on the street corners or when they're crossing the street in front of a car. This was true in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Netherlands. (I have also observed this in France, Switzerland, Italy, and Greece.) Then there was Chris, who wouldn't put his phone down. I was ready to throw it in a river. Any river. I still might.

The next day, Sunday, instead of Bruges, where we had planned on attending a mass in Flemish at the church with the thorn of Christ relic and the pretty canals and the overtouristed belfry, we spent a second leisurely day in Antwerp, that being the day of the Antwerp marathon, so there were runners everywhere and the streets were devoid of cars. The weather was cold but better, especially because the sun was out, and we ventured out for a long brunch and people watching. We didn’t see much in terms of tourist sites – the cathedral and the castle were the main sites – but we ate a lot and walked a lot and ducked into cafes when we were cold. We watched some of the marathon and then we walked back, took naps, and barely made it to an open restaurant where Chris had duck that he is still raving about and I had some Antwerp stew which was good but it was just stew.

Here are the pics from the day.