A day trip to Antwerp began like a segment from The Amazing Race. We arrived at Rotterdam Centraal only to be told we needed our passports for the train ride to Antwerp, which I cursed was incorrect the entire cab ride back to the hotel. I was sure we did not need our passports to travel into Antwerp just for a day trip. With only 20 mins until our train departed, we rushed the cab driver back to our hotel. 12 flights of stairs later and we were on our way back to the station with only 2 minutes to spare. We ran the entire station and got on our packed seatless train ONLY TO NOT need our passports. It was great craic altogether and a complete waste of 20E.
Antwerp is gorgeous, absolutely stunning. From the moment we stepped foot off the train at the glorious Antwerpen Centraal to the streets of Antwerp the architecture is just amazing, very different to Rotterdam. We spent the day around Old Town and skipped down a lot of small side streets filled with cobblestones. We hit up their friday farmers market and got to see one of their antique markets which looked like a lot of chaos to be honest. We managed to fit in one museum during the short trip, The Plantin-Moretus, a museum honouring the famous printers. The museum has a huge collection of typographical material and some of the oldest working printing presses in the world. If you are ever around Antwerp, it is worth a visit. And finally, the coffee shops are to die for!
Next time Belgium, I promise to try your moules et frites!
Farmer's Market
The chaotic antiques market
