Drive BE: Antwerp & Brussels

We drove to Antwerp last weekend with Merve and Geo and a very cranky Lucas.  Thank goodness it was only a 1.5 hours drive.  

We were bracing ourselves for "dirty" and "seedy", which were the words some people used to describe the city.

This gorgeous building marks the start of the Meir, Antwerp's shopping street. 

Huge pedestrian walk, modern shops, high street brands.
Everything was nice and clean.

In front of Stadsfeestzaal shopping arcade, with its opulent gold mosaic entrance.

Lucas stopped being cranky for 2 minutes to enjoy the fountain at the Meir.

And he liked the Hand of Antwerp too.

In the old days, they didn't have ERP gantries.  The river toll was collected by a giant.  But this giant was mean.  He cut off the hands of those who didn't pay.  In the end, one brave Roman soldier killed the giant and cut off and threw his hand into the river.  'Ant-werp' sounds like 'hand-throwing' in Dutch, hence this was how the city's name originated. 

(Kevin says I totally made this up).

Here's a fountain of the Roman soldier, Brabo, throwing the giant's hand.  This in front of the City Hall at Grote Markt.

This 'air tube' is one we haven't seen before; he was funny.

Thanks to Enterol from an Antwerp apotheek, Lucas' diarrhoea finally stopped.  His mood and appetite recovered tremendously the next day and we could all finally have a break. We were so relieved.  It had been an exhausting week of high fevers, endless diaper changes, painful diaper rash and teething to boot.   

This is him telling his 'friend' all about it.  We are still not sure who was on the line.



Happy baby in tow, we drove to Brussels for beer, chocolates and small pissing statues.  But first, a stop at the Atomium.

Looking like something from outer space, this doesn't look like it was built in 1958
(but it was).

 

Next stop was the Grand Place, with its beautiful clash of Baroque, Gothic and Louis XIV buildings.  Naturally, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Fresh hot churros with melted Belgian chocolate, what could be better??

The answer: mouthfuls of chocolate-d and liquor-ed cherries.

Here's wee Manneken Pis at the street corner, doing what comes naturally. 

And we were there :)

In Bruges

We drove to Bruges from Gent with mum and dad, which is about an hour's drive.  We spent a lovely day wandering around the scenic historic city centre, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Part of the charm of this historic city is its many canals and beautifully preserved medieval buildings.

This was a lovely little courtyard of a restaurant-hotel whose walls were full of climbing vines.

Even the staircase in the cathedral was ornate.

Mum and Dad in Bruges.

Dad and 'friend'.  

The bridge was so full of people posing for photos, this guy was almost standing next to Dad, lol.

A bit of modern amidst the old.

Lucas looking solemn in the cathedral.

When in Bruges, do the cruise.

But if you are a toddler, you can hang out with daddy at the Markt..

..admire the 13th century belfry (hey, Colin Farrell was here)

..go exploring

..get excited over gravel in the shop window

..and wheels

..and throw in a spot of shopping.

"Ah, this one is nice."

We ended a lovely afternoon with some fantastic Belgian waffles at the cafe at Zilverpand car park :)

Day Out: Gent Museums II

STAM is Gent's City Museum, housed in a restored 14th century abbey.  

We were more fascinated by the way the exhibits were presented at this museum, rather than the exhibits themselves (until today, we are still not sure what they were about, lol).

The first room that we stepped into was breathtaking!  

The entire floor and part of the walls were covered with high definition satellite photos of Gent, 

lighted from within.

We had to wear special shoe covers to protect the floor.

If you were living in Gent, you could literally step foot on your own home.

The beautiful 14th century Gothic refectory.

Here's a sample of the state-of-the-art way in which the exhibits were presented:

Even the signages were cool.

Lounge-like atmosphere at the museum.

Gothic buildings made of architectural lego. 


Visitors can try their hand at creating a building or a mess, depending on your age.




Breakfast at NH Gent Belfort before setting out for the day: