Day 7: Antwerp

Antwerp day 7:

The Centraal Train Station

This was my last day to be with Allert. I packed up, put my stuff in the car, and then we started driving towards Belgium. My tenth country!!!  Yea Yea!  We drove to a city on the southern border of Netherlands and took the train into Antwerp.  Allert doesn’t like driving into cities.  The train station in Antwerp is beautiful. I couldn't stop looking at it. But then enter the city and it looks more like a modern city without the obvious presence of the olden days. Shopping everywhere and people young people everywhere. 

Fries!  YUM!

We started wandering through the streets without a map and had three things to find: fries, waffles, and chocolate. Last night I had compiled a list of what online reviewers claimed to be the best places for each and the goal for today was to find each of them.  I was on a foodie tour, not really to see the city.  I wanted to eat!   First we found the fries.  Without a map or any sense of direction, we stumbled upon the fries. Yum. That's right. You order a pile of fries that comes filled into the paper cone and then there are dipping sauces that you drizzle on top. There were about 10-12 and I asked the lady what I should get and she pointed at the few that I would specifically like. I ended up drenching my fries with American katsup, spicy katsup, some mayo, garlic spread, and much more. Each fry was flavored and the combination of everything was delicious and a wonderful intro (to my belly) into Belgium culture. Allert said that he knew he could trust her because the lady was nice and fat. And you can always truest those people with your food. 

View along the Water

Cherubs in a Cathedral

We then waked along the water. Previously had attempted to find the waffle place but the closest remnant had already closed. The water was there but plain. Nothing special about it. Not a highlight. It provided something to walk along, but unlike the other European cities, it was more of a river and less of a canal and empty.  Usually they are exciting or at least there are cafes spread along them.  Nothing lik ehtat here in Antwerp.  On the walk back I spotted several chocolate stores and I just had to enter them. I got two pieces, two small pieces. I had invited Allert to come in with me but he declined so I just assumed he didn't want any. Then as soon as I left the chocolate store I offered him one last time and he gladly took my chocolate. Oh well I guess you don’t win them all.  I thought that I would try both pieces, but destiny thought otherwise.

Still on the quest for waffles, I saw Del Rey’s, an ice cream / chocolate shop that I remembered reading about.  I got a scoop of caramel ice cream!  Yum!  It was light and creamy and probably made my stomach ache but it tasted too good to care.  Before admitting defeat, we went to the little counter and got the simple waffle, nothing like I was expecting.  He asked if I wanted nutella on mine and who can deny nutella?  He drenched that waffle in nutelle so much that I could scrape it off and still have too much.  Either way, yum.

Bye bye Allert, thanks for traveling with me, I had a great time with you!

Me with my Waffle