Day 40 Antwerp, Belgium

Antwerp is Belgium's "second City" and is a blend of historical past and vibrant modern identity.  The Grote Market, the city's main square, is the heart of the old town, surrounded by magnificent 16th century guild halls and the iconic City Hall.  This is just one of the highlights on our walking tour of Antwerp.

When we read that we would be visiting Antwerps Railway Station I was very excited as I had seen this very station on Michael Portillo's Greatest Rail Journeys television show.  There are no words to describe this grand old building and photos will never do it justice.  It is simply stunning.  

I thought this sculpture inside the railway station was a dove but turns out its a hand…...

Our next stop was the MAS Museum.  We weren't here to see the displays inside the museum we were here to go to the top floor to get a birds eye view of Antwerp.

After the museum we were taken by bus back to the old city centre where we explored the alleyways and hidden courtyards with their own stories to tell.  

The last place our tour guide took us was the Catholic Church.  Today is the 14th August and it is the day that a procession will be held after mass this evening to celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.  I have seen this procession on television and it is quite the ceremony, celebrated all around the world on this day.  Our Lady is standing proudly in the church, dressed in all her gold finery,  ready to be carried through the streets tonight.

Our tour concluded here and we were more than ready to head back to the ship to rest up.  We walked around 14kms again today.  At around 4.00pm we decided to head back to the city centre to buy me a new pair of joggers.  That was quite an easy task and we also picked up a few odds and ends along the way.  It was almost dinner time and we both had a bit of a craving for wine and pizza.  The streets are full of just these types of places and choosing one was the hardest but we were happy with our final choice.  Our Italian waiter rolled his eyes at me when I ordered the Ham and Pineapple Pizza (who putta da pineapple on ze pizza!) but hey, it was on the menu.  Philip stayed with a traditional Neopolitina.  They were both typical Italian pizzas with crispy, thin and puffy pizza bases and they were delicious.

After our meal we were glad of the walk back to the ship and what did we run into - the procession of The Lady!  We heard the bells tolling while we were eating and commented that it was probably the procession little knowing that it was so close to us.  It is quite the deal.

I'll leave you with this photo.  No mistaking where the loo is at the Antwerp Railway Station!