Antwerp, Belgium - Antwerp - TravBuddy

I'm a big fan of Belgium, and the fourth trip I took was with my parents to Antwerp. We first went to the maritime museum, which is in the 13th century castle, the oldest building still left in Antwerp. It was a cool museum, with lots of fun ship things to see inside it. A bit humid, though, and I only saw two dehumidifiers in the place. I would have expected more, considering how old some of the items are. Then again, a lot of them were pulled out of the River Schelde, so perhaps they need to remain humid so as not to deteriorate. The view from the Steen, as the castle is called, over the river is pretty. They also have a big plaque there commemorating the liberation of Antwerp in 1944 by Canadian troops.

Then we headed to the Grote Markt, where we saw the Stadhuis and the Brabo Fountain. Walked by the Onze Lieve Vrouwkathedraal (Cathedral of Our Lady). Walked inside, but since you have to pay to actually see the church (and to pray), we walked out. Did some more walking throughout the city, and even hit up the Hoofdsynagoog (chief synagogue of Antwerp). It's from the 1890s. Then we walked down the Meir, the main shopping area, en route to Del Rey, the best chocolate place in the city. Got some very yummy treats, including a dark chocolate candy with cream ganache flavored with Earl Grey tea.

While in town, don't forget to have a nice Flemish dinner and then plenty of Belgian beers -- we actually drank at a place that wasn't too expensive at the Grote Markt.

Before we left the city the next afternoon we went to the Diamond Museum. Diamonds are central to Antwerp's history, and something well over 50% of the world's diamonds go through Antwerp at least once. The numbers to push on the audio thing could be a bit clearer -- eventually I just started pushing the numbers in order. I think I heard everything, for the most part when I was in the correct rooms. There are also three treasure rooms, too. Lots of sparkle in that museum, that's for sure. The gift store could have been a bit better.... but I guess the point is to just walk out of the museum and go spend your money in the local economy.