Antwerp, Belgium

October 5, 2013

One of the great things about living is Europe is how close everything is!  So our team decided to finally take advantage of this and hopped on a train to travel only an hour and a half to Antwerp, Belgium!  (Don’t worry…the trip was more planned that I portray!  We did not just go and get on a train!  We booked in advance.)  After wandering around the area near Antwerp Centraal Station (including Chinatown!), we were slightly disappointed.  We hadn’t seen anything too spectacular; then we went a different direction and found the main shopping center of the city!  With stores lining the street, filled with people and street performers, we were finally experiencing Europe!  We made our way through the shopping center (and a few shops looking for a dress for my brother’s wedding in China), and finally arrived at Brabo Fountain.  After relaxing our tired and aching feet for a little, we wandered back to the train station area, stopping in multiple chocolate shops and for the “Best Belgian Waffles in Antwerp”.  We had dinner, got some Starbucks, and hopped back on the train to return to Tilburg!  There was a lot in between what I wrote, including creepy street performers, a very friendly chocolate shop owner that recommended places to eat, and the guys trying on European style pants (aka skinny-legged pants)!  It was fun to finally get out of Tilburg and venture off on our own.  So here are some of my favorite pictures from the day!