Tour Bus

Although I am not usually a fan of tour buses and the whole guided tour way of seeing new places, I thought it might be a different type of activity for me and the girls so we booked a trip to Antwerp. It was only a half-day tour so we left at 1:15pm on Monday, 1 August, after a leisurely morning around the apartment mostly spent reading. Our tour guide was from Antwerp and his stories, tidbits, history and insider knowledge were just the trick to giving us a unique experience. Along the highway we passed by Belgium's king's residence (flag flying meant the royal family was in the estate), a town called Boom famous for high quality bricks, the first tank to liberate Antwerp at the end of WWII, the original Duvel beer manufacturing plant, and Breendonk concentration camp.

Once in Antwerp, we visited a diamond cutter/polisher (and drove through the heart of the diamond district), the steen (stone castle previously guarding the city), the central market, and the highlight was the beautiful cathedral. The spire is the highest in the low country and we got a special view of it after walking through a secret alleyway. Inside the cathedral has been partially restored and it really was stunning. I particularly liked the madonna and child statue from 1530. Our guide gave some interesting history of Napolean's near-destruction of the cathedral and how it was spared. The only shortcomings of the trip were not getting close enough to or being able to tour around the port, since it is the second largest in Europe, and having to snap some photos of great sights including the gorgeous train station and the new palace of justice from the moving bus.