Antwerp
During our Fall break we took a quick one night trip to Antwerp, Belgium (about 2.5 hours away by train). We had a great time exploring the city and eating various Belgian delicacies ... Such a neat place!
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| On the train, ready to go. Thanks to Sam and Celina for the luggage! |
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The incredible Antwerp central train station.
(According to a 2009 Newsweek Poll, the world's
4th greatest train station...) |
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| In the Groenplaats square (The Vrouekathedraal is in background) |
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Interior of the beautiful Vrouekathedraal Cathedral, a
14th-c. Gothic structure featuring amazing paintings by
Peter Paul Reubens, an Antwerp native |
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| Noah looking at Linnea looking at him not looking at the Reubens. |
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| The Grote Markt in the Old Centre of Antwerp. |
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| 16th-c. secret passageways on the way to lunch! |
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| Ready for classic French/Belgian fare at Sir Anthony Van Dyk! |
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| After lunch we (literally) stumbled upon a basement art gallery. |
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From there we stuck our heads in some of
the high end shops in Antwerp's famed fashion
district. The haute fashions at Dreis Van Noten's
"Style Palace" were a bit pricey and avant-garde
for us, butthe "free" macarons on the counters
were delightful and fit right in our budget!
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Doesn't look like it from this angle, but this is a Camper
Shoe Store and a coffe house. In one. |
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That night after some tasty Thai food, we
had a great time at the Chatleroi imbibing some
Belgian brews with locals.
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The next morning we explored a great street market
featuring plentiful olives, mixed nuts, dried fruit, produce,
cheese, chocolate, Vietnamese food, and of course, fries. |
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| Desserts across the street at a bakery. Mmm... |
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Before catching the train home we enjoyed some
Mussels from Brussels...ahem....Antwerp. Best Mussels we've
ever had!
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Zaanse Schans
A few weeks ago on a cold and dreary Saturday, we decided to take a day trip to Zaanse Schans, a picturesque Dutch town about 45 minutes away from Amsterdam.
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Off the train and ready (?) to start our adventure.
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Crossing the bridge to the historically preserved village
-- we found the windmills!
We also made the important conclusion that it is (or was)
the Gary, Indiana equivalent for industry in the
Netherlands historically (but a little easier on the eyes). |
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| brr. |
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Working Spice mill. (View from outside,
we did not pay to go inside...but they did!) |
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| Dingy! |
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| The Netherlands |
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Getting out from the cold, we learned about the
history of the region at the Zaanse Schaans Museum...thanks to our
museum cards (see blog entry no. 2 re: no guilt for going
to museums for 30 minutes). |
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| Next stop Cheese Museum - pressing gouda! |
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| Linnea's best Dutch face. |
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| At the Clog Museum: clogs for him. |
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| Clogs for her. |
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| Royal clogs. |
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| Making clogs! |
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| Clogs for sale. |
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| Clogs in their natural habitat! |
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| Tot Ziens! (Bye bye...) |
