BeNeLux - Brussels, Antwerp

As we haven’t spent enough time in Brussels, though we use it as our base. We decide to explore a little bit of this charming city.

Spring time in Brussels.

Brighten up our day with the Comic Strip Walk Many wall in Brussels are dedicated to the famous comic strip. There are the ’comic strip trail’, which has involved thirty walls in the capital being covered with comic strip characters that are larger than in life in every sense and portrayed in the most comical situations.



Mural painting: Billy The Cat (By Colman and Desberg).


Mural painting: Broussaille (comic strip by Frank Pé).


Mural painting: Victor Sackville (comic strip by Carin).


Mural painting: Néron/Nero (comic strip by Marc Sleen).


Mural Painting in Brussels featuring cartoon character Tintin and Captain Haddock. (Created by Herge)



The Hall of Saint Gery is in the Flemish neorenaissance style. One of the most famous public squares in the whole of Brussels, this area is one of the hearts of the entertainment district in the city. It is a great night out surrounded by lively cafes, bars, clubs and restaurants.



The very delicious Macarons from St. Paul Brasserie. Though I haven’t eaten much of the macarons (not that I wouldn’t want to try but it is a pricey dessert.) but this is the best so far that I have since it is not too sweet like the others. (of course I haven’t tried the very famous one, Laduree, in Paris yet.)



Antwerp
Antwerp has long been an important city in the nations of the Benelux both economically and culturally, especially before the Sanish Fury of the Dutch Revolt. It is located on the right bank of the river Scheldt, which is linked to the North Sea by the estuary Westershelde. The harbor is the second largest seaport of Europe.


16th-century Guildhouses at the Grote Markt.



Antwerp City Hall
The Town Hall of Antwerp is one of the oldest Renaissance buildings in the Low Countries. It was finished in 1564 by architect Cornelis Floris de Vriendt. The style of the building is obviously Renaissance (the superposition of Dorian and Ionic colons), but the middle section still clearly resembles the towers of the many Gothic Flemish and Brabantine town halls.



Het Steen (literally: 'The Stone').

In Antwerp the 'Steen' is the name of the little castle that can be seen at the entrance of the city center, on the border of the river Scheldt. The castle is called that way because it was one of the earliest buildings in Antwerp constructed with stones (at a time when most houses were still built with wood).

The Steen was probably built as a part of the fortification around the city in the 13th century. Then it was used as a prison from 1549 until 1823. Since 1952 The National Navigation Museum is housed here.

At the entrance a relief statue can be seen of a man with spread out legs. This statue also used to have a very large penis and was therefore venerated by numerous women looking for a cure against infertility. The Jesuits found the statue too obscene in the 17th century.... and off went the decoration of the statue !



The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal (Cathedral of our Lady) is the highest cathedral in the Low Countries and home to several triptychs by Baroque painter Rubens. It remains the tallest building in the city.




Statue of Brabo and the giant's hand


Central Station
The part of the station where the platforms are is covered by an immense metal and glass dome (typical for turn-of-the-century railway stations in Europe), designed by architect Van Bogaert. The station building itself was designed between 1895 and 1905 by architect Delacenserie. The inner decoration in eclectic style with the use of marble and the presence of a gigantic staircase make any visitor who enters Antwerp here feel like a king. Antwerp is also the diamond center of the World. Too bad that I leave the town without one. Although we plan our own trip and travel by ourselves, it doesn’t mean that we don’t do the hop on, hop off like the group tour. We have time strain also.

From the coffee shop.

BeNeLux - Brussels, Gent

First we stop at the Atomium in Heysel Park in Brussels, before visiting Gent.

The Atomium is a symbolic 103-metre (338 ft) tall structure that was built for the 1958 World’s Fair. It consists of nine steel spheres connected by tubes, and forms a model of an iron crystal (specifically, a unit cell). The architect A. Waterkeyn devoted the building to science.



At Gent, we park our car at the underground market parking.

Statue of Jacob Van Artevelde


A is looking which direction we should take.

Bicycles were retrieved from the river.

We stop by to have snack at this stall for the French fries or Vlaame frites.
Vlaamse frites (pronounced "FLAHM suh freets") means "Flemish fries," a nod to the northern Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, where these favorite snacks come from. Here the most common condiment to dip them in isn't ketchup, it's mayonnaise.

We have lunch at this pannekoeken restaurant, Gwenola.
Dutch pancakes, called pannekoeken, are similar in texture and taste to French crepes; they're thin and made with a buttery batter that's neither sweet nor savory.

The Saint Nicholas church, one of the oldest churches of the city.

A Belfry tower is perhaps the most typical building in medieval Flemish cities. It represents the power of the cities and functioned as treasury and watch tower. The architects were Jan van Aelst and Filips van Beergine. The tower was completed in 1338, when the bells were rung for the English king Edward II. At the top corners of the towers a stone soldier on watch was placed.

The beautiful area of the city: the Graslei and the Koornlei. These are the names of two streets which lie along the banks of the old harbor of Ghent, right in the middle of the city. Graslei means 'street of the herbs and vegetables'. Koornlei stands for 'street of the wheat'. Both names indicate that these specific products where traded or stocked in that area.



The Meat Hall where we buy the ham.
The Meat Hall was built between 1407 and 1419. The gothic building with its large step gable facade was used in the 15th and 16th centuries as the central hall where the butchers of Ghent could sell their meat. Apart from a shop that sells meat related products, there is also a café/restaurant with a very appropriate ceiling decoration.

A quiet street in Gent.

On the way back from Gent to Brussels.



The result of our friends' shopping in four days.

Our dinner.

BeNeLux - Lissewege, Bruges

Our first stop today is at the small village, not more than 500 inhabitants, called Lissewege not far from Bruges.

With its charming canal, its renowned barn complex of the Abbey of Ter Doest, its whitewashed polder cottages, its imposing church steeple and its vast flowering meadows, it is no coincidence that Lissewege was elected one of Flanders’ prettiest villages.



The big church, with a tower of 50 meters (and actually only for 2/3 finished), was built between 1230 and 1270. There are several stories that try to explain why such a small village could build such a large church. Most likely to be true is that she was constructed under supervision of the Templer Knights. These knights had to protect the pilgrims that were on their way to Santiago de Compostela, Rome and Jerusalem. For pilgrims coming from the north, their long journey began in Lissewege. Probably the church was financed by sacrificial gifts from the many pilgrims that passed this place.



Lissewege is also called the white village, after the white chalked houses.


After walking through the town for a very short period, we drive back to Bruges.

At the Grote Market.






Our lunch at the Breydel De Coninc.

Very delicious and yummy. Worth that it eats up a big part of our trip-meal budget. 555

Church of our Lady or Vrouwekerk (13th-15th century, recently restored): this church, with a 118 m high tower, contains an extremely rich art collection. Highlight is of course the white marble Madonna with Child by Michelangelo.

We then continue our exploration of this lovely town.

Bruges has become number one of the cities I love for this trip.

The Beqinhof

The ‘Princely Beguinage of the Vineyard’ was founded in 1245. Today the nuns of the Order of Saint Benedict inhabit the site.



The Minnewater or Lake of Love used to be a dock for so-called ‘barges’ which operated a regular transport service between Bruges and Ghent.



This picture is for my "loving cat" friends.



Too bad that we don't have time for the river tour.



A little shopping for this evening dinner.