When I was originally invited to attend the Great Belgian Beer Dinner on April 24th, it was planned to be in Oostende, a coastal town that's about a 15 minute train ride from Brugge. I figured that's a GREAT excuse to stay in Brugge, and booked a B&B. Well, the restaurant in Oostende closed and the organizers had to scramble for a new location for the dinner. They ended up finding a place in Antwerp, which is about a 1.5 hour train ride from Brugge. The organizers arranged a bus ride back for me, but being on my own to get there I figured I'd spend the day checking out Antwerp.
Antwerp has an amazing train station. I decided to follow the walking tour in to the center that is in my Rick Steve's guidebook. It was a really nice introduction to the city. I stopped at the Rubens House museum and was delighted to learn that entry is free on the last Wednesday of the month! The house was stunning and the art work was just incredible. (But, I am a big Flemish painters fan!)
My next cultural stop was the cathedral, where I was incredibly lucky to see much more art than usual and a Rubens in the place it was intended to be - due to the art museum being renovated.
Other than that I wandered the streets. I didn't want to eat or drink too much and spoil dinner, so those options were out. I really enjoyed Antwerp - I love the vibe of it, and would like to go back for a longer stay.
I did find, in a sporting goods store, exactly the type of pannier I want for my girly bike. I was terribly excited and bought it. Then I found a little boutique a while later with cool, crazy stuff, and they had the same type of pannier - for 20 Euro less. !!! I hemmed and hawed for a bit, then hustled back to store #1 and asked if I could return the pannier. They said yes (no questions; the only odd thing was I got cash back for a credit transaction - free cash advance!) so I then hustled back to store #2 and bought the less expensive version.
It was about time for the dinner, so I wandered over and right away spotted Mary & Craig waving to me through the windows. We had time to chat before everyone was herded outside for starters & apertifs. And then - I ATE A RAW OYSTER. It was pretty damn good! I also ate a piece of herring later. When we were directed inside, we were directed to specific tables; there were 6 persons at ours. The guy next to me introduced himself as Mitch and, taking a leap of faith that he might be the Mitch whose email about packing beer was forwarded to me, I asked if he knew Win (a frequent flyer acquaintance of mine) in the Chicago area? And - he does! Too funny. Mary and Craig were at the table as well, and a couple from Brussels who Mitch is staying with. It turned out to be an interesting mix of people and I enjoyed the conversation over the amazing, 8 course dinner (with beer pairings).It was really a wonderful experience. I also got to meet Chris Lively of Ebenezer's Pub, which was cool.
It was 12:25 am all too soon, and time to find the bus. I was riding back with a tour group from the U.S., who were also a good bunch. I met Dean Rouleau from San Diego, as he was on the tour. The bus was not in theplace we expected it to be, then the driver missed an exit, so all in all it was 3 am before I was back in my bed at Art & Soul, exhausted but incredibly happy with the day.
Antwerp has an amazing train station. I decided to follow the walking tour in to the center that is in my Rick Steve's guidebook. It was a really nice introduction to the city. I stopped at the Rubens House museum and was delighted to learn that entry is free on the last Wednesday of the month! The house was stunning and the art work was just incredible. (But, I am a big Flemish painters fan!)My next cultural stop was the cathedral, where I was incredibly lucky to see much more art than usual and a Rubens in the place it was intended to be - due to the art museum being renovated.
Other than that I wandered the streets. I didn't want to eat or drink too much and spoil dinner, so those options were out. I really enjoyed Antwerp - I love the vibe of it, and would like to go back for a longer stay.I did find, in a sporting goods store, exactly the type of pannier I want for my girly bike. I was terribly excited and bought it. Then I found a little boutique a while later with cool, crazy stuff, and they had the same type of pannier - for 20 Euro less. !!! I hemmed and hawed for a bit, then hustled back to store #1 and asked if I could return the pannier. They said yes (no questions; the only odd thing was I got cash back for a credit transaction - free cash advance!) so I then hustled back to store #2 and bought the less expensive version.
It was about time for the dinner, so I wandered over and right away spotted Mary & Craig waving to me through the windows. We had time to chat before everyone was herded outside for starters & apertifs. And then - I ATE A RAW OYSTER. It was pretty damn good! I also ate a piece of herring later. When we were directed inside, we were directed to specific tables; there were 6 persons at ours. The guy next to me introduced himself as Mitch and, taking a leap of faith that he might be the Mitch whose email about packing beer was forwarded to me, I asked if he knew Win (a frequent flyer acquaintance of mine) in the Chicago area? And - he does! Too funny. Mary and Craig were at the table as well, and a couple from Brussels who Mitch is staying with. It turned out to be an interesting mix of people and I enjoyed the conversation over the amazing, 8 course dinner (with beer pairings).It was really a wonderful experience. I also got to meet Chris Lively of Ebenezer's Pub, which was cool.It was 12:25 am all too soon, and time to find the bus. I was riding back with a tour group from the U.S., who were also a good bunch. I met Dean Rouleau from San Diego, as he was on the tour. The bus was not in theplace we expected it to be, then the driver missed an exit, so all in all it was 3 am before I was back in my bed at Art & Soul, exhausted but incredibly happy with the day.
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