Antwerp, some sights.

Antwerp today hoorah! It was only a 40minute train trip from Brussels which was fairly easy.

Incidently in Antwerp they speak Dutch, unlike french brussels. So that was interesting. But everyone there speaks english, so thats nice for me.

The station itself is very impressive, a Neo classical building completed 1905. It gives a good first impression to Antwerp.

From the outside, on a very sunny but cool day.

Antwerp is smaller than Brussels, so walking around is fairly easy. I love coming across old building on my walks around, especially when you go up close, and they're now just a shopping center or something banal.

Fountains. Yay.

I liked this sculpture, it was outside the main church as well which was interesting.

The church is called Onze Lieve Vrouwe Kathedraal.  Its very large and imposing.

I couldnt fit it in my camera shot. But it was too sunny for a good photo anyway.

The inside was just as impressive. Not impressive was having to pay to go inside... even the Notre Dame in Paris is free...

But they did have some very famous Robens paintings. But places in the sunny areas, which can't be good for the painting...

A pretty window.

Just near this church is Antwerps version of the Grand Place, Grote Markt. Not as grand, but I liked it. The fountain didnt have a pool of water at the bottom, it just splashed down the rocks.

Same gable styled buildings as before, with gilded gold statues on top.

A found a cute alley way and went for a walk. Little did I know this would leed to good shopping.

Lots of quirky shops which I love. Frog necklace anyone? I of course couldnt help myself and bought a few dresses and some shoes. How I will get this home, I will never know.

Lunch! Yum! Pork loin with mushroom sauce. And beer. Go me.

The walk to one of the museums was quite long, but filled with interesting things... like these purple chairs on concrete plinths in a garden...

And next to the Central station on my way back was this giant inflatable beast thing, that children could go walk inside "its intestines" and try "not to get eaten" I wanted to go in, but people were staring at me funny, so I didnt.

While waiting for the train I bought this. I was very excited. I do not speak dutch. It wasnt custard as I had hoped, but some strangely sweet lemon cream. Disappointing.

I also saw some galleries, but I'll keep that for the next blog. Overall I liked Antwerp, but I'm glad I only had the day. I saw as much as I needed to, and if I'd stayed much longer, I would have bought even more...

Brussels museum tour.

So yesterday I hit the museums and galleries to help fill up my Gallery folder for uni. I mean because I like art.

So naturally my first stop was the comic strip museum.

TIN TIN. He's awesome.

They had old comics, and the process of comic making, and old merch for the comics, and advertising with the comics, it was all pretty cool. It was all basically in French. There was a heap of comics I didnt know, but they looked awesome anyway.

Smurfs are from Belgium, did you know? I also couldnt read what it said next to the blue blob thing. Smurf poo?

But Tin tin is the clear winner. I bought a few things for Lauren and headed off to the next museum.

On my way I saw this.

And this.

And this really creepy giant purple bunny.

The view from Musee Royaux des Beaux-Arts.

In the Musee d'Art Moderne, most of which was closed for rennovations til 2012.... bastards.

But this Jan Fabre was there. I love the bugs, theyre so shiney.

And Dali, my old friend.

And Marcel Broodthaers.

Another large museum next to it was the Magritte museum. Pretty sure no photos were allowed, but I'm sneaky.  He's one of the orginal surrealists. He did the pipe painting, but it wasn't there, but there were drawings of the pipe painting... haha.

The rape drawing.

His cutout birds.

It was pretty interesting, but the 5 floors was a bit much really...

Across the road was another exhibition, Joan Miro. I know theres a Miro exhibition in Paris at the moment for his Sculptures, and since this was just his paintings I thought it would be good to see before I moved on. That and I bought a dress in Amsterdam that has a Miro-esque print on it.

I never knew he did textile based works. I like them. Kinda rough but its interesting to see his colours transfered through.

This was my favourite though. The little blue stain really makes it work.

I then had lunch. Pasta! Om nom nom.

After lunch I found a fashion districts map, and went for a long walk in and out of shops. Very quirky but I didnt buy anything. I dont know what this was, probably a church, but it was in the middle of a good shopping road.

I just wish the rest of the modern Art museum was open, I heard it was supposed to be a good one.

Brussels.

So I'm sitting in my hotel bed absolutely knacked from walking everywhere today, and yesterday and the day before.... Its brilliant, but my knees just don't keep up.

So I'm halfway through my stay in Brussels, and today I headed out to Antwerp, but thats another blog...

Monday I got into Brussels about 1pm after the 80minute train from Paris. The apartment isnt bad, one bed, one fold out couch, cute little terrace, not far from the city centre.

My walk around Brussels. It's a pretty small place, compared to Paris anyway so I went for a walk to see the sights.

Heres Palais de Justice. Its big n stuff.

Near it is this war monument. And behind that, a fantastic view, shame it was so foggy out.

Notre Dame du Sablon. A church.

I liked the light from the stained glass windows inside.

Prettttyyy....

Near that was this garden apparently called "Place du petit sablon."

The fountain was pretty but the water was gross, I looked in a saw a frog and was like "awwwh frogs" and then saw the dead floating ones near it... Lovely. Dinner is served.

This is the Palais Royalle. Which you cant get into. And is surrounded by a really high stone wall so you cant see into the gardens. But you can see the front!

Across from that was a bigger garden that had fountains and stuff. Parc du Bruxelles Warande.

This church is Cathedrale Sts Michel et Gudule.

It had relics n stuff.

It looks kinda like notre dame, but not, ya know? We got trapped inside this church. Someone roped off the section we were in and said it was because the Japonese Bishop was here, and we were to pray for Japan. That got boring 10 minutes in so we hopped the rope and got out of there. I care for Japan, but I'd rather give money than pray.

Belgium chocolate covered strawberries.... yummm.

Grand Place. This was a grand place. Lots of gilding on the surrounding buildings.

Looks more like Amsterdam here.

Cute Tintin mural around brussels. There are apparently a few of these around the town. I found two.

Manneken Pis. So... apparently the son of a duke was caught pissing against a tree during battle and was thus commemorated in bronze as a symbol of military courage... They are really proud of this little peeing boy. I think its weird. It reminded me of dad. 

Belgium beer. Raspberry flavour. Not bad... not bad at all.

Mussels! Om nom nom.

There endeth my first day in Brussels.