Antwerp

I like the city of Antwerp. I don't know what it is about the place, but I generally feel quite at home there. I've been there quite often over the past few years, because I know people who live there and the more I get to know the place, the more I like it. On the whole the atmosphere seems pretty relaxed, no pushing and shoving, and the streets are a bit broader than the ones here so you get room to breathe and to walk.

It's a great place for shopping, maybe a bit too great. You get some of the same shops you get here, but it always seems there is so much more space there. Antwerp presents itself as a fashion city, and it is. With the mood I've been in lately that is a dangerous place to be though. And yes, there was this really pretty dress I found, and it didn't cost much, and it looks really great on me. And I guess that isn't too bad, really, Antwerp also is the city of diamonds...

Antwerp also has the best second-hand record shops that I know. A huge selection of the old and the ancient everywhere, though it usually takes a little while to find out just how all these records and cds are organised in the various shops. And then there is so much out there, that after a little while you do tend to give up. You need to know what you are looking for, otherwise there is no point even starting to look.

Then there is the nightlife, the restaurants and cafés in hidden streets and corners. Places with wonderful names and decors, all very much in the Catholic tradition. The Belgian waffles in the street, those famous Belgian Fries, the chocolates. But I was a good girl and I didn't have any of those things. Not one chocolate... I even turned down this delicious looking chocolate egg.

I do think I should plan another visit to Antwerp though.