Day THIRTEEN
I feel as if I say this in every post - and I probably do - but I thought this city was beautiful. I'll juts say it now and get it out of the way, all of Europe is beautiful. There, now we can move on.
We stayed at the Jeugdherberg Pulcinella Hostel (or Antwerp Central Hostel if your mouth can only manage a normal level of articulation) which was in an ultra-modern simplistic building. I really liked the aesthetic, but in our room the beds were quite small and hard, and the mattress was covered in a thick industrial plastic, which made it feel like a weird cross between a dental surgery and a space brothel.
The city itself was a big contrast from this strangely enjoyable simplicity, there are lots of nice small spares and outdoor seating. In a way I was reminded of Paris, but with the difference that sitting outside to eat might actually be a nice experience. Why are Parisians so fascinated with eating al fresco? The streets are so narrow and dirty. Maybe we were looking in the wrong areas... Anyway, Antwerp; in 1406 it was known as the most beautiful city in the world, it has the second biggest port in Europe, and it is famous for its uncut diamonds. There is also a big craft beer movement (clearly, it's Belgium) and the food is divine.
The Cathedral of Our Lady, or Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, was never actually finished. I really like gothic cathedrals, there is so much architectural detail. There's a sculpture by the front door of men working on the church, and a woman was busking by pretending to be a sculpture too. She was very good. I didn't realise she was there until she blinked!
On to some amazing food and drink at The Cathedral Cafe. We thought this was a different cafe, but the over the top amount of catholic kitch was quite impressive and the food was delicious so we didn't mind!
We then caught the tram to the Modeste Bier Festival. If you don't like crowds or confined spaces, this isn't the one for you! But if you can handle the heat, you can try some amazing local craft beer. There were some food caravans out the back too, where some fresh air and a little more space was nice. You pay for your glass and you get a book which tells you about the different beers and the background of the brewers. Then you swap your euros for tokens and get drinking
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next: Antwerp | Day 14
