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Published: August 17th 2010
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Our tour guide--my cousin benjamin!A relaxed day in Antwerp. It was the first day in too long, that was were able to sleep past 8:00am. We moved quite slowly the entire morning, and didn’t make it to downtown Antwerp until 2pm.
I had no idea what to expect from Antwerp, but it was soo cute! It was a very midevil little town, with a great story behind it.
On the water’s edge, there is an old beautiful castle. As we walked through the castle Banjamin and Carolyn told us the history of Antwerp. The tale goes that a giant used to live in this castle. One man defeated the giant, cut off his hand, and threw it into the water. Where the hand fell in the water is where Antwerp poped up!
All around the city there are hand chocolates, statues, figurines, cookies, beer glasses, you name it.
We had lunch at a lovely little Turkish restaurant, followed by some delicious Belgian Waffles. The waffles here are nothing that I expected. Lauren and I were a little hesitant when we asked Carolyn if you put anything on them and she said No. These waffles need nothing at all! They are so moist, sweet,
and delicious! They tasted like they were filled with maple syrup. I think it was the best thing I’ve eaten since I’ve been in Europe (even better than the amazing French pastries we had in Paris). After a Turkish lunch and Belgian waffle, we needed some real Belgian beer.
Carolyn took us to a restaurant that she worked at when she was 20 years old. Benjamin also worked there as a summer job, but Carolyn made it clear that she was one of the main reasons why he got the job ☺
We walked around in the Cathedral which is in the center of Antwerp. It was quite beautiful and very different than the other cathedrals we had seen previously. There were gorgeous stained glass windows throughout, and all of the seating was very ornate carved wood. I’ve never seen so much carved wood so detailed. It really made me feel like I was in a church that was hundreds of years old. You don’t see decorations like that anymore!
Carolyn showed us this tavern pub that at first glance you would NEVER notice. You walk into a small doorway into a little room with a couple chairs.
Walk downstairs, and you have now entered an underground pup that was build in the year 800! There are strong wooden tables, and candles (REAL candles, not those fake ones you would find in a restaurant in America). The walls are some sort of stone, and Carolyn says the beer is good. The first thing Lauren said as we entered, was “this looks exactly like something at Disneyland!” And it definitely did—except it was 100% real.
For dinner, Lauren, Mariel and I all tried mussels for the first time. And these weren’t mussels for a baby, at all! Each person had his/her own entire pot of mussels. Carolyn said that she buys them alive, chops up carrots and celery and throws nothing else (no water) into a huge pot, then steams it all. The mussels open up and release salt water giving it a salty soup flavor. We all liked it!! I would order myself, or at least I wouldn’t be afraid to order a dish with mussels in it.
Off to bed we went for an exciting day in Amsterdam tomorrow!
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