90 Days in Europe: An Experiment in Culture Clash: September 2010

I pulled into Antwerp's Central Station on an unusually sunny and warm Belgian Tuesday afternoon. Apparently, the Station was ranked #4 by Newsweek in a world's nicest train stations poll. I can see why.

I brought my bags to the hotel (note there's no 's' in that word) and checked into my room--way too big for a solo traveller, but a nice change from the claustrophobic hostels I'd been in. Plus, I had my own bathroom with a shower that worked, which was pretty great. Anyway, I dropped my bags off and headed towards Stadpark, one of Antwerp's largest parks. There's a nice little lake in the center that's got black and white swans and a bunch of different ducks. The park also is overrun with bunnies, and I was told that sometimes people hunt them and eat them--I don't think it's true, but it's kind of funny to think of people hunting bunnies. Of course, very very sad, too. With that, here's the park:

There are also some cool statues in the park: this one is dedicated to young children annoying senior citizens.

"Dinner"

After a nice stroll through the park, I headed into the center of Antwerp. For a Tuesday, it really didn't seem like people had work to do. The streets and cafes were full of people sitting around and enjoying the sun. You'll have to take my word for it, these pictures don't show too much of the hustle and bustle, but they do show the city, which is good enough:

The National Bank of Belgium

Groen Plaats

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Kathedraal (Cathedral of Our Lady), Groen Plaats

Peter Paul Rubens statue, Groen Plaats

Groen Plaats means 'green place'--it looks kind of grey...

After spending a few more hours downtown, I headed back to the hotel to get some sleep. I fell asleep watching some Dutch TV; actually, it's not too different than American TV:

The Dutch subtitles don't compromise Randy Marsh at all. What a great character.

Ok, now fast forward to the next day. I was scheduled to meet with my first couchsurfing host, Erik, and sure enough we did. If you haven't looked into this and are thinking of traveling, I highly recommend it--it's a great way to meet new people and, on a practical level, save some money. Most of all though, it provides an opportunity to see a city from a local perspective. I was already loving Antwerp (by the way Antwerp > Brussels), but having Erik show me around really allowed me to see the city outside of typical tourist haunts like Groen Plaats. Coincidentally, he had a 6-month bike rental that ended during my stay, so I was able to see the city via bike, which added a lot to the experience.

Oh yeah--Belgian muscle.

We stopped at the Left Bank, an area that looks across the Schelde River towards Antwerp. To get there, we took a pedestrian tunnel that goes under the river.

One of Antwerp's many people on one of its many bike roads.

After hanging around the Left Bank for a while, we went back to the city and took a quick look at the new Palace of Justice.

I'm not sure what this has to do with justice, but it's a cool statue, no?

On the POJ's steps looking at some of Antwerp (caption writing 101)

With only two hours left before we had to return my bike, we took a trip to nearby Middelheim, where there is an open-air museum. Also in this area is the home of the Royal Antwerp Eagles baseball club (the largest in the city). Baseball is not popular in Europe.

There are more than enough seats in this picture to hold all of Antwerp's baseball fans.

So, back to the museum. The place is like a statue/art installation park near one of Antwerp's wealthier neighborhoods and is one of the coolest places I've ever been. Also, it feels like it's out of some strange sci-fi movie--like The Labyrinth, for example.

Why yes, that is David Bowie starring in a Jim Henson movie! Ok, all joking aside, here's the park...

Anthropomorphized sausages? Maybe all joking isn't aside...

Skeleton riding a bike backwards on a high wire

Guy being thrown off his horse/Horse and man flying together

"Belgian Fun"

This is what "Belgian Fun" looks like

Person in a tree

Person in a tree #2

When you walk into this large field, there are a few poles that have wires attached to them; the wires are then connected to tree branches overhead; there's a crank attached to the poles and you turn it to make a noise; we figured it created electricity somehow, so it was gratifying to know that all of Belgium was able to watch the news on TV for a few minutes. Oh, and the structure in the background is a labyrinth, actually.

The Crank

This piece was called "The Envelope"

Inside "The Envelope" (editor's note: I don't get why it's called "The Envelope")

The Labyrinth up close

Looking out of one of The Labyinth's towers

This was called "Roman Road." Apparently, it was actually a Roman road that ran past Antwerp.

The most challenging obstacle course in Belgium

Yeah, it was a pretty great park. Unfortunately, we had to get going to return my bike, so back towards the city we went. Needless to say, it was a great day to be in Antwerp. But now, I'm in Amsterdam, so I think I'm going to get out there and see what this place has to offer. I'll leave you with a few more photos of the city. But first, huge thanks to Erik for being such a gracious host for two days! Also, thanks for your comments--keep them coming. And finally, enjoy your weekend everyone and go Steelers...