Why is everyone so tall?!? I’m definitely feeling Lilliputian walking among the Dutch. I knew I should have brought those skyscraper sandals with me, though I suspect I’d still get dwarfed standing next to some of these people. But never mind that, there is plenty of diversity in this fair city and before long I am at eye-level with a few Asian and Italian people as we jostle through the busy Antwerpen streets on a weekend afternoon.

 

One of the most significant landmarks in Antwerp is the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal (simply, De Kathedraal),

 

a gothic Roman Catholic church whose architects were a father-son team of Jan and Pieter Appelmans. With a total capacity of 25,000 people, it also has one of the tallest spires in the world and therefore dominates the city’s landscape:

 

There are significant works by Rubens in this cathedral, but I find the nave to be its masterpiece:

 

On an exterior side wall you will find a bronze sculpture immortalizing the architects of the church. Look closely and you can see a marker stone with the Appelmans name on it:

 

Just around the corner from the church is a brasserie taking its name from this bouwmeester family:

 

In fact, there are tons of dining choices all around this area…

 

But one of my favorites has got to be this dive that takes the word to a new low (haha):

 

Actually it’s definitely not a dive. It’s a restaurant in a super adorable, hidden courtyard and if you go around that blind corner to the right, this is what you’d see:

 

When I come out of this mini-maze, I realize that there are apartments here and I really, really want to choose mystery door number 3, push in on its shell doorknob, and see what’s inside:

 

Tired yet? We’ve only scratched the surface. More photos from the street tomorrow and then we’re leaving Belgium.