When in Anvers, get dim sum.  I had some really fabulous Thai food in Namur my first weekend at a restaurant called Sawasdee, but Anvers is really the best Belgian town for first-rate dim sum. Don’t ask me why, c’est comme ça!

 

Chinatown is mere steps away from the central train station so there’s no excuse to not go there. Afterwards, I like dropping by the Asian grocery stores next door  just to check out the merchandise.  There are always some funny signs to behold and sure enough, I spot something lost in translation:

 

Anyway, I head back out to the streets and by now an open-air market has sprung up in front of the train station:

 

With all the sights and sounds going on, it’s tricky to mind the cars, bikes, trams, buses, and pedestrians…

 

with my head in the air looking at cool street names tricky to pronounce…can you say Schrijnwerkersstraat 3 times really fast?

 

These religious figurines are also what I find throughout the Benelux region when I look up:

 

Speaking of Benelux, tomorrow I’ll see you in one of the other two countries that make up this union.