Antwerp was a pleasant surprise. We didn't expect much from the diamond capital of Europe, but truly enjoyed ourselves once we were there.  Unfortunately I missed the fashion district, but my wallet is probably happier.

The streets of Antwerp are a stressful maze, but after safely parking the car, life as a pedestrian was entirely pleasant.

In the historic district we saw the "bacon and fat" building and all the other good stuff in that area of town. Because it was summertime everyone seemed to be in a good mood and even the brightly-colored flags on the government buildings rippled with a cheeriness probably not mimicked in wintertime.

Looking for a hotel later that afternoon was a bit tricky, primarily because we couldn't seem to find any in the historic area that were reasonably priced with available rooms.  After circling the area several times, we settled on a shabby hotel with shared toilets run by a disheveled older man who offered us his last room that faced the square below.

We couldn't believe our luck!  Right on the square!  And then I slowly realized why that was the last room available. Loud noises ricocheted from the square all hours of the day and night.  Some drunks played basketball throughout the evening and early hours of the morning and then early-rising street vendors picked up where the drunks left off - setting up stalls at 5:00 A.M. for a miniature flea market the following day.

We had worked so hard the night before to find a parking space in front of the hotel - navigating in the dark through the historic district from our old parking spot on the opposite end of the central area amid many one-way streets to settle in front of our temporary home - only to have to scramble at 6:30 A.M. in the morning to move it again before the streets were closed off for the market.

Enough of the logistics, now for the fun.  We found a lively outdoor bar where we ate a delicious variety of cheeses with hearty rye bread and drank large beers.  All with great views of the floodlit central church!  Our fellow patrons were in good moods and it was infectious.

I must have eaten bad food in Delft, Netherlands because it haunted me all the way to Antwerp.  I was sick before we even ate dinner, but I forced the food down anyway because it tasted good.  I wished that I felt better because I would have explored more bars and tried out more beers.

After dinner we wandered around a bit more before heading back to the hotel to catch some zzz's.

The next morning, after moving the car, sleeping an hour more and jogging several miles by some run-down trailer parks along the waterfront, we showered and then ventured back onto the streets to enjoy a grand summer festival that was well under way.  Buildings were festooned, locals were costumed, beers were consumed, and a great deal of music was in the air.

We stopped for a refreshment break at an outdoor café and continued our people watching.  I couldn't figure out what was more interesting - the sullen, middle-aged couple drinking purple-y Mort Subite for breakfast while reading the paper/ignoring each other or the young Euro-trash couple with rock-star attitudes and suntans like the models had in those 1980s Bain du Soleil ads.  I can't really follow French, especially from two tables away, so I was entertaining myself interpreting body language, which is fairly universal.

In the heart of the festival vendors were selling flowers, plants, food, and knick knacks from stalls.  The smell of grilled meats and vegetables wafted over the sweating crowd.  The outdoor cafes were already jam packed.  A strange humpbacked fella wandered through the crowd and Jake didn't want to get too close.

Then we worked our way to the front of a food line and ordered the last bratwurst with grilled onions, which we ate in the alley just beyond the crowds.  Delicious!

And then we blew out of town for Brussels.