Antwerp.

I like Antwerp, it's a cool city. Lots of nice old buildings and a very cosmopolitan feel to it. I particularly like de Meir, which is a (supposedly) pedestrianised street full of shops. If you have a good imagination you could almost believe yourself to be in England. There are plenty of stores there that you will find in Britain like C&A, Greggs the Bakers and Clarks Shoes, then there are the pigeons pooing all over the place and mad old people driving their mobility scooters into pedestrians. Every 50 metres someone will jump out at you and ask you if you want a new mobile phone or to give money to help the poor people of the Third World or can I possibly help save the whale? Just a small donation, alstableift. What demographic do I fill that makes these people see me and think 'he's good for a few euros'? Even listening to an ipod doesn't put them off! When you are not dodging the above people then you are on the look out for suicide bike riders who act as if they are driving Sherman Tanks and not a 12 kilo bit of metal tubing with wheels at either end!(more of that in a future post). All that down just one road! But I love it!
The streets around the Groenplaats (see photo) are a joy to walk and you get such a real sense of history, shops have been incorporated into the original buildings so that they don't spoil the feel of the place. Even the obligatory Mcdonalds is housed in an old structure. The Cathedral is impressive but BE WARNED!!...one of the statues outside is NOT a statue and people of a nervous disposition should avoid that area. Don't say I didn't warn you! I like to watch the ships take their cargo up the Schelde and always find myself wondering just how the hell the Captain get his car onto such a small peice of deck! And there really is nothing better in the summer than sitting outside a cafe between showers with a glass of Hoegaarden!
Stop press..........I have just been informed by my lovely fiance/editor that Antwerp was voted second best city to live in after Bagdad....correction Copenhagen. See todays http://www.gva.be/ for more details.