Jan 5th, 2012 at 8:30AM: Here at Gadling we've talked a lot about the perils of solo travel, from how it can break up relationships to creating feelings of loneliness. On a recent trip to Antwerp I discovered a danger to solo travel I never thought of--people look upon you with suspicion.
I was dining alone in a popular Antwerp restaurant. The waiter had seated me so that I faced another table less than ten feet away. ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
antwerp posts
The perils of solo travel, or, how to sexually harass someone without even trying
Jan 5th, 2012 at 8:30AM: Here at Gadling we've talked a lot about the perils of solo travel, from how it can break up relationships to creating feelings of loneliness. On a recent trip to Antwerp I discovered a danger to solo travel I never thought of--people look upon you with suspicion.
I was dining alone in a popular Antwerp restaurant. The waiter had seated me so that I faced another table less than ten feet away. ...Hagelslag: Belgian chocolate for breakfast
Nov 10th, 2011 at 7:00AM: Chocolate. You gotta love it. You can eat it, cook with it, even snort it. It's good at every meal. Even breakfast, as I discovered on a recent trip to Antwerp.
The Belgians enjoy a special breakfast treat called Hagelslag. These are basically chocolate sprinkles put on toast. The heat of the toast melts the bottom sprinkles, making a nice gooey mess, while the top sprinkles scatter all over ...The oldest printing press in the world
Nov 9th, 2011 at 10:00AM: Antwerp has been an important port and center of commerce for centuries. Because of this it has a long history of printing and the elegant mansion/workshop of one of its early printing companies has been turned into a museum
The Museum Plantin-Moretus houses a huge collection, including the oldest printing press in the world. Actually there are two of them, both from about 1600 and complete ...Luxury accommodation in the heart of Antwerp
Nov 8th, 2011 at 2:00PM:
Antwerp is a compact city with bad weather, so while it's walkable, it pays to be in the center of town. During my visit I stayed at the Hotel Julien, a recently renovated and expanded hotel within sight of the cathedral. In fact, I could see it from my bathroom window!
The Hotel Julien is firmly in the luxury hotel bracket with prices from 195€ ($268) and up, breakfast included. The ...Masterpieces of silver in Antwerp
Nov 7th, 2011 at 3:30PM: Belgium is famous for its silver. Belgian silversmiths have a history stretching back hundreds of years. Their work has always been sought after for its high degree of craftsmanship and so it's no surprise there's a Silver Museum in Antwerp dedicated to the craftsmen that make these works of art.
Besides talent, they have a sense of humor too. This wine cup, shown here in a photo copyright Hugo ...Fine dining in Antwerp
Nov 3rd, 2011 at 12:00PM: For such a small country, Belgium certainly has contributed to world cuisine. French fries, for example, are actually Belgian, making that whole "freedom fries" movement back in 2003 even stupider than it appeared. They also gave us Belgian waffles, although over here they're called "Brussels waffles" after the capital. And let's not forget about Belgian chocolate!
I've been exploring Antwerp, ...Visiting a German bunker from World War Two
Oct 28th, 2011 at 2:00PM:
Belgium had it tough in World War Two. Unlike in the First World War, when the Belgian army stubbornly held on to part of the nation and its allies rallied to beat the Germans, in the second war the Low Countries and France were quickly overrun by a German army that now enjoyed superior military technology.
Occupied Belgium was soon covered with fortifications. The Germans feared an Allied ...Antwerp: Belgium's historic and modern port
Oct 27th, 2011 at 2:00PM: I've often wondered why Belgium is such a rich country. Its main claims to fame--chocolate, beer, Tintin, and a heroic fight against the Kaiser's army in World War One--are all noteworthy but hardly the stuff to earn billions. Some background research for this series taught me that Antwerp has a lot to do with Belgium's wealth.
It's the second largest port in Europe, and one of the top ten in ...Belgian chocolate: so good you can snort it
Oct 25th, 2011 at 4:00PM:
Back in grade school, my friends and I used to eat Smarties, those little sugar tablets that were so popular back then. Some of us, wanting to show off, used to pound them up and snort them. There was no better sugar rush. We used to call them "Snorties".
Well, we should have copyrighted it, because now in Belgium they're snorting chocolate. Not just any chocolate, but gourmet Belgian ...New Gadling travel series: the lowdown on the Low Countries
Oct 24th, 2011 at 2:00PM: Today I'm starting a new travel series here on Gadling. While Alex explores Far Europe, I'm checking out Near Europe. I'm spending the next ten days seeing the sights and sampling the cuisine of the Low Countries. My first stop is Antwerp, Belgium, and from there I'll head to Amsterdam and the Hague in The Netherlands.
There's a lot to explore and I have a full schedule. I'll be seeing castles, ...Amsterdam art exhibit focuses on the Antwerp school
Sep 16th, 2011 at 1:00PM:
The Hermitage Amsterdam starts an important exhibition tomorrow focusing on the Antwerp school of Flemish art.
Rubens, Van Dyck & Jordaens: Flemish paintings from the Hermitage runs until 16 March 2012 and features almost a hundred paintings and drawings from some of the great names in Flemish art. Peter Paul Rubens is especially well covered, including his famous work Venus and Adonis, ...Around Antwerp - strange and wonderful sights
Apr 12th, 2010 at 11:00AM:
Walking through Antwerp is like walking through a gothic storybook. The colors are bright, but rained-upon, the cobbled streets are haphazard with marble-tiled crosswalks and lined with buildings which seem to lean left and right. The river has a graffiti-emblazoned concrete walkway leading to a castle-esque fortress, and of course, De Kathedraal (below/next page) is an astonishing sight to ...Hotel Julien - Comfortable minimalism in Antwerp
Apr 9th, 2010 at 2:00PM:
One of the great things about Antwerp is how walkable the city is. For that very reason, make sure you stay at a hotel that's right in the middle of the action -- such as Hotel Julien, which is located at Korte Nieuwstraat 24, just a hop and a skip from tons of local attractions including De Kathedraal and plenty of bars and restaurants, and about a 15 minute walk from the train station.
The ...The secret garden of the Rubens' House Museum, Antwerp
Apr 8th, 2010 at 10:30AM: Peter Paul Rubens bought a house on Wapper Street in Antwerp back in 1611. The beautiful residence served as his home and studio, and though it changed hands many times after his death in 1640 and eventually fell into disrepair, in 1937, it was fully restored to its original glory and glamor -- including the astonishingly beautiful courtyard garden.
Even if you're not big on museums, it's worth ...
