Last Saturday, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and made our first day trip in Europe. We decided to visit Antwerp because it's only about an hour by train from Leuven.
Traveling by Train
We had a great time riding on the train. Max was, as usual, very flirtatious. He spent most of the hour trying to get the attention of the people sitting around us. He won their hearts playing peak-a-boo behind the seats. The sights along the way were very pastoral — European country cottages and farm animals. Max was mesmerized by the scenery speeding past the window.
We arrived into the enormous Antwerp Centraal train station mid-morning. The architecture of the public space was inspiring. It is considered the 4th best train station in the world.
Grote Markt
After wandering around the station for a while, we made our way to the Grote Markt (Great Market), which is in the center of town. It seems that every major city in Belgium has its own Grote Markt, filled with little cafes and patrons sipping beer or coffee while watching the people go by.
Max took a little snooze in his stroller, and we treated ourselves to some famous Belgian frites. You receive them piping hot, with dozens of condiments from which to choose. Belgian fries are traditionally served with a huge dollup of mayonnaise, but we couldn't bring ourselves to stomach that just yet. We opted for a spicy/sweet curry ketchup, and it didn't disappoint.
After Max's nap, we took in some of Antwerp's famous attractions: the Cathedral of Our Lady, the waterfront area (complete with Het Steen, a medieval castle and Antwerp's oldest building), and the Vleeshuis (the Butcher's Guild Hall). Apparently, the Butcher's Guild was the most powerful guild in the 1500s and 1600s. The building's alternating layers of red and white bricks, known as 'speklagen', are meant to resemble bacon.
We ate lunch on the square, and felt very much like Europeans. Max enjoyed the people-watching and was particularly excited when the horse-drawn carriages rode by.
Of course, Paul found the one coffee shop that was tucked away on a side street that we had to go to. We enjoyed some delicious pour-over coffees, which was a pleasant reminder of home for us.
Waffles
No outing for Max is complete without waffles, of course. Our last stop in Antwerp was at the Queen of Waffles, where we enjoyed a Brusselse Wafel with warm Nutella, and 4 mini-wafels with homemade ice cream. Delicious!
We made our way back to Leuven exhausted, but content, with many great memories.
More to come soon ...
