Views of Antwerp

I've been staying in Antwerp the last few days. It's a wonderful city with interesting history and more restaurants and bars than I've ever seen in one place. Rumor has it that Belgium has over 10,000 restaurants! I walked around the city a bit yesterday evening. Here are some of the highlights.

This status is in the center of the Groenplats (main plaza) and in front of city hall. It depicts the hero Brabo throwing the hand of the evil giant, Antigoon, into the river. The name "Antwerp" means "hand-throwing".


These 16th-century guildhouses are now storefronts. They are decorated with brilliant gold status.


The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, or Church of Our Lady, overlooks the main plaza of Antwerp. The inside houses three pieces of artwork by Peter Paul Rubens, the famous Antwerp resident.


Mussels are a popular meal in Belgium. They come in a black pot accompanied by frites and optional sauces. They go wonderfully with a Belgian beer (in this case, the local De Koninck). Strangely, my mussels had a few friends along for the trip - three tiny, dead crabs. They were maybe 3/4" long. One was actually inside the meat of the mussel and it popped out as I stabbed it with a fork. I ate around them. :)

Now that you're done reading, head over to the Sand Creek Almanac for the current installment of I and the Bird. It's a great place to read A LOT about birds.