Recently a friend had a business trip here in Europe and delighted us by spending a couple of extra days as our guest. He wanted to see some sites while he was here, so we decided to visit Anterp for the day.
Unfortunately it was a foggy cold day, but at least it didn’t rain. Unfortunately the gray skies didn’t make the best backdrop.
But as the day wore on, the fog did lift a bit.
We visited the Cathedral of Our Lady and had a stroll around there. It took almost 2 centuries to complete this magnificent cathedral!
It was interesting because our friend is Catholic, and he was able to give us some perspective on various things. And it contained some beautiful priceless artwork.
And it had tombs! The girls were both fascinated and a little unsure of that!!
I’m not entirely sure what these are on the floor. At first I thought they were grave markers, but I figured people would not be allowed to walk on them if that were the case. So I believe they are stones that families maybe purchased to memorialize their loved ones. Or perhaps important people of the church. Not sure, but I have yet to see something like this in any other church or cathedral we have been in so far.
Then we walked around the Town Hall – built between 1561 and 1565 and Market Square. The statue is an image of the Madonna, holy protector of the city.
After strolling through Market Square, we made our way to the busy shopping district of Antwerp. Tons of people were here!
While we didn’t go in, I had to take a picture of the McDonalds…because it was just pretty! It’s not often you see beautiful crown molding and chandeliers in a fast food joint.
We will definitely go back to Belgium and explore this city some more on a nicer day. Belgium doesn’t get much credit here in Europe, but I’m finding some gems about this country that I can’t wait to explore further.
From Here to There - A Move Across an Ocean 