Travel Diary: 24H in ANTWERP

Hey lovelies and welcome (back) to Gecko&Gold!

I had a week break from college this past week and almost no money, but I decided, screw it, I'm going to travel anyway! I took the oppurtunity to explore a little bit here in the Netherlands, and then took a really quick trip to Antwerp in Belgium, for a little retail therapy, and most of all, a change of scenery! I went with my best friend, taking the 7am train directly to Antwerp, so we had a whole day to spend there, stayed overnight, and hopped on a train back the very next morning. sigh. 

So this is basically a guide to what you can do within 24 hours in this gorgeous city!

First stop for us was our hotel, not somewhere I'd recommend for a luxury stay, but since we only needed wifi and a clean bed for one night, it was perfect for us. (oh, and really cheap.) The absolute best thing about this place was the location.

Yep, that's the cathedral to the left, and the grote markt to the right, so pretty much as central as could be!

We started off the morning by visiting the cathedral, which is also housing a lot of art at the moment from one of the musems which is being renovated. I love cathedrals and big churches, the feeling I get there isn't necessarily a spiritual one, but more of a feeling of awe at what human beings can create, and this beautiful place was definitely a wonderful example of that. The art housed in there was beautiful, of course, but the building itself dwarfed the paintings in its magnificence. If you ever want to get your mind blown by what people can build, it's worth a visit for sure.

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After a little retail therapy (and some waffles for good measure, when in Belgium!) we visited the Rubenshuis, which was really very beautiful and interesting and all the things you would like a museum of art to be, before heading back to the hotel and getting ready for dinner at De Groote Witte Arend. There we enjoyed some hearty Flemish food, which I didn't photograph, but I can definitely recommend the steak!

As we dashed off the next morning I found myself longing to go back and experience more of the city and discovering some new spots, so I'll definitely be back soon!

If any of you are from Antwerp or know it well, leave your suggestions for the best places to visit in the comments below!