Monday: After my friends from Paris leave, I decide to walk to the diamond museum, DIVA. It is in the Old Town and it is comprehensive to say the least. Antwerp is, after all, THE diamond headquarters of the world. I always wondered why that was the case since diamonds are not mined in Belgium.

Two main reasons. The river and an invention. Trade began in Antwerp in the 1400s when rough stones arrived from India through maritime routes via the Scheldt River. 1476, local polisher Lodewyk van Berken invented the scaife (a diamond-polishing wheel coated in diamond dust), which allowed cutters to create symmetrical, brilliant facets. The new sparkle attracted orders from European royalty and master craftsmen to the city. Viola——Antwerp is now the center for exquisite diamonds.

In this museum you learn about everything from mining, to polishing, to famous jewelry. It’s on 3 floors and has a rooftop deck which I go out on after consuming so much information.

I stop at Theo’s for a coffee and water. They have a great playlist on so I decide to write a bit on my blog. When I look up 2 hours have passed.

Most of the rest of the day I meander though town and just observe.

That evening I try a restaurant on my street called Noung Ko which the chef at KRIJT had recommended. It was a nice change of pace and a great recommendation.

Tuesday: I saved going to the Museum of Fashion ( MoMu) until I could go with my new Antwerp friend Alda, the lovely lady I met the first day through International Greeters. She has quite a history with interviewing fashion icons through her prior life in journalism and her daughter, Elisa, is a star in the fashion world. This museum houses the largest collection of a Belgium fashion in the world and highlights the work of the famous Antwerp Six.

At one point we stop to watch a video about the history of fashion in Antwerp and who is narrating the video? Elisa, Alda’s daughter!

After seeing the exhibits, we have an enjoyable lunch in the museum’s cafe before saying goodbye.

I am so happy to have met Alda this trip. I highly recommend you consider getting in touch with International Greeters on your next foreign trip.

There is one more museum I want to see before leaving Antwerp. It’s the Museum Mayer van den Bergh. I mainly want to see the painting called “Mad Meg”. The museum houses the art collection of Knight Fritz Mayer van den Bergh, who amassed a fantastic private collection before his early death at the age of 43. After his death, his mother gave the order to build a neo-gothic house in the banking district of Antwerp to house the collection. Here is Mad Meg.

There were quite a few interesting paintings depicting daily life in the 17th century. Another favorite of mine is “The fight between Carnival and Lent”. On the left of the painting is extreme partying and on the right is extreme abstinence of good things. The painter is unknown, but it is said he was trying to copy Hieronymus Bosch.

Walking home I pass Bourla, a local cafe that faces a nice green space. It’s 5 pm so I sit a while and have a glass of wine.

Tonight I go to Osaka which has been on my favorites list all month. I am not disappointed. I discuss the menu with Louie, a charming young man who also recommends their sister restaurant, Camino. I do as he suggests and order the gyozas and hamachi crudo and a Belgium wine. I have a great chat with two locals beside me. One is a lawyer turned DJ! There is still hope for me.

Wednesday: The next day I try Camino for lunch. Louie was right. Delicious.

Afterwards there are two galleries I want to walk to. The first is the Sofie Van de Velde Gallery. They have the sculptures of Dirk Van Saene, one of the original Antwerp Six. He went from fashion to sculpting. Right away I like the one with the yellow sweater.

They are all actually captivating. When I get the catalog. it turns out they are all actually sold too! They are priced in the $20,000-$25,000 range so maybe it just as well.

Afterwards I head to the Tim van Laere Gallery. It is probably the best known galley in Antwerp, but I’m not seeing anything that I have to have.

I still haven’t done much chocolate tasting, so I head to Del Rey, a family owned chocolatier, considered one of the finest chocolatier in Belgium. My friend Luc had told me about their hot chocolate, but when I arrived I learned their cafe to sit and have hot chocolate had closed last year. No problem. There were plenty of chocolates to be had!

Thursday: It is incredibly sunny today and I have to go back to Funk bakery because I saw this saffron pastry there that intrigues me. It tastes like yeast pastries our mom used to make called ring-a-lings.

Now that I am nourished, I decide to take the wooden escalator and walk under the river to the other side.

Today walking under the river is like taking my life in my own hands. Scooters, bikes and other motorized vehicles whiz by me in both directions. It is an underground super highway. I decide if I make it safely to the other side in one piece, I am taking the ferry back.

It is very peaceful on the riverfront today and I do take the ferry back.

I need to get to Bourla as I am meeting Sofie for lunch. Walking there I pass Delvaux, a very expensive Belgium purse maker.

This one in the window is 18,000 euros—nearly $20,000. I did not do what it says in this window next door.

I am early and I grab a table at Bourla.

Sofie comes with flowers to belatedly celebrate my birthday!

We both have the delicious steak frites meal, along with great conversation.

I am really going to miss Sofie!

Tonight I capture some beautiful shots of my neighborhood and settle for my neighborhood pizza after that big lunch with Sofie.

Friday: I open my AirPod case and there are no air pods inside. I thought the Find My app only showed where the case was, but I was wrong. It shows the left bud and right bud in two locations in Old Town. I must have dropped them at some point in the week. I doubt I can recover them in the middle of a major city, but hope springs eternal, so off I go to the address it shows on the app. I’m looking down at the street in front of the address the app gives me when 3 men on a loading dock ask what I am doing. I tell them and they say, ‘Well this is the back door to DIVA, the diamond museum. Were you here maybe?” Yes, I say but it was 4 days ago. One says he will go inside and look, and sure enough he comes back with both of my air pods. I really can’t believe my luck!

Next, I decide to try to find two parks that Antoine from the Botanic Sanctuary Hotel had mentioned to me. The first is the park of the Fashion Academy.

The park is so-so but the school is great and it is very cool to see the students sitting on benches and sketching instead of scrolling on their phones.

Next I walk way to the north to see the large seaside park.

I do manage to stop for a delicious hot chocolate ( ok yes and pastries) before reaching the park.

I’m flying to Slovenia tomorrow, so I go home to pack. It’s about 5 pm now and I really want to go to Tazu, a cocktail bar I’ve heard is super cool. Pack or drinks? Pack or drinks?

My last dinner in Antwerp is at Fiskebar next door to my apartment where I had my first dinner when I arrived. I try to eat my first and last meal at the same place on Shirleyfest. It is a ritual.

I am up at the crack of dawn. No one is out and I get an uber to the train station.

It is kind of eerie being in the train station this early. No one is around.

My train arrives. I get to Rotterdam just as the sun is coming up.

I quickly change trains. 30 minutes later I am underneath Amsterdam Schipol Airport. Up I go to the lounge where I will shortly board my flight to Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Another Shirleyfest is now in the books. I am so happy with my choice of Antwerp. While it has elements of France, Netherlands and Germany, it is its own city with a definite unique vibe.

I am debating about whether to do a next post on Ljubljana. It’s not an official Shirleyfest. It’s a 5 day recon mission. Since so few people have been to Ljubljana, I feel I will in fact do a post from there, so stay tuned!

Thanks for following along!

Perhaps you’ve always dreamed of jetting off to Antwerp, Belgium—a city that evokes intrigue, fashion, history, romance, diamonds, luxury and, of course, delectable food. You have your flights booked, but where should you stay to make sure the trip leaves you with lasting memories?

There is only one answer: The Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp.

And there is one excellent reason for that choice: Head Concierge Antoine Cuypers.

In my experience, many luxury hotels can deliver beautiful accommodations, delicious food and impressive amenities. But what really makes a hotel rise above the others—and helps create lasting memories—is a talented concierge.

My series of interviews with General Managers and Chief Concierges around the world has been enjoyed by many of my readers. I think that’s because we all love getting a behind-the-scenes look at these beautiful places and learning about the people who make everything work so smoothly.

I know exactly who I wanted to interview in Antwerp: Antoine Cuypers.

In addition to his esteemed position at the Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp, Antoine is Vice-President of Belgium’s chapter of Les Clefs d’Or, the prestigious international association of professional hotel concierges.

The Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp is enclosed within a beautifully restored 13th-century monastery and hospital complex. In 1238, monks founded the original monastery and hospital on these grounds, establishing a long tradition of community and sanctuary. In the 16th century, apothecary Pieter Coudenberg established a medicinal herb garden next to the hospital, an early predecessor of Antwerp’s modern Botanical Garden nearby.

After years of neglect, repurposing and transformation, the property was extensively restored by its current owners over several years. Today, it blends Gothic and medieval architecture with rooms spread across five separate buildings, four restaurants—including the two-Michelin-starred Hertog Jan—a beautifully preserved 15th-century chapel and a 3,000-square-foot health spa.

It is a truly beautiful and unique property.

And I am very happy to be spending time with Antoine. He first gives me a brief tour of the beautiful property.

An extremely busy man, he nonetheless finds time to sit with me in the hotel’s cozy library, where he immediately arranges for coffee—which inevitably arrives with delectable Belgian sweets.

Let me share with you what I learned.

For starters, Antoine, tell me how you found yourself working in hospitality.

I grew up traveling the world with my father, who was a civil engineer. We lived in the Middle East and all over Europe. My love of travel drew me toward the hospitality industry.

I found I was bored with university studies, but, on the contrary, I was energized by my first job working in a Brussels hotel. I worked my way up from the bottom through various positions in Brussels, and a few years after its opening, I was recruited here to the Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp.

Now I have the most wonderful position at the most wonderful hotel.

What makes this place unique?

When people are with us, they feel at home. While our property is stunningly beautiful, it is also comfortable and restful. There is never a feeling of chaos or excessive busyness.

It is an oasis of calm in the perfect location in Antwerp. Moreover, the unique history of the structure makes its presence known subtly, but dramatically.

Why are you loyal to this property?

Yes, I work in beautiful surroundings, but beautiful surroundings would not be enough without the beautiful connections I have with the guest experience. Our hotel provides the most personalized and intimate level of connection with the guest.

The way I connect with the guests, and they with me, makes me loyal to this position and this hotel. I think it is the most important thing—to feel that connection.

I feel I am on a constant feedback loop because I am so in touch with the guests and what they need and expect.

Tell me about your team.

We are a small but efficient team of two. I believe in bringing young people along in life, and I am happy to have Billy working with me.

It is my job to model and teach what I have honed throughout my years as a concierge. Billy is absorbing this knowledge, and it is a pleasure working with him and seeing him develop.

How have things changed during your years here? What have you noticed?

Many things. First, every hotel is concerned with being competitive, so each employee must be justified as a cost-effective addition to the team. There is no room for excess, so we must operate efficiently with our small team while providing top-quality service.

Second, there is an expectation that a top-tier hotel will provide a personalized experience to each guest. We cannot provide run-of-the-mill answers or experiences. Each guest expects that you see them as an individual and address their unique requirements.

The expectation of personalization is something I have seen more and more through the years. I am proud that people rely upon me to do that here.

It is about soul—having the soul to relate to the guest. You either have it or you don’t.

Third, technology is very helpful. Many people want to shun technology as taking over the personalized touch, but I disagree. You can use technology to your advantage. Of course, you must check your sources and verify information, but we have at our fingertips a powerful tool that lets us help our guests.

Fourth, due to the globalization of the world, in the seven years we have been open we have seen a more diverse geographic population coming to the hotel. Some of this is due to marketing, some to social media and some to the fact that we opened post-Covid, when more people began traveling more widely.

How would you tell a guest to spend his or her limited time in Antwerp?

If the guest is unclear about what they want to see, I would suggest that they first go to Het Steen. There they have curated an amazing exhibit that explains the history of Antwerp and all the facets that make the city unique.

Het Steen is a medieval fortress in the old city center. The surviving structure was built between 1200 and 1225 as a gateway to a larger castle of the Dukes of Brabant, which was demolished in the 19th century. As the first stone fortification of Antwerp, Het Steen is the city’s oldest building.

The words Het Steen, translated from Dutch, mean “the rock” in English.

Then, depending on the guest’s priorities—fashion, art, diamonds, music, history, breweries or shopping—they can target the right area of the city by thinking of Antwerp as divided roughly into three sections: south, central and north.

Antwerp is a very walkable city, so you can see so much simply by walking through these three areas.

In the south, where we are located, you have many fine museums and galleries. In the center, guests can explore the historic Old Town and take advantage of the wonderful shops. In the north, you have the port and the new MAS museum.

What about solo travelers? Do you have any special recommendations for them?

We often receive solo travelers, from well-known actresses to, recently, an 85-year-old woman who came alone to celebrate her birthday.

Of course, they can follow the same approach as any guest, but we recognize that they may have different ideas about how to spend their time.

For each guest, solo or otherwise, I make contact with them before their arrival. They receive my welcome letter, and I try to ascertain their needs and expectations before they arrive.

For example, the older lady celebrating her birthday was interested in getting out on her own. She told me she loved jazz, so I arranged for her to go to De Muze, an iconic three-story jazz café in Antwerp’s center.

She loved it! She went alone and mixed in with everyone there.

There are also many concerts in Antwerp, both in traditional venues and in our beautiful churches. Many times our solo guests love to attend those events, and it is my pleasure to arrange tickets for them.

What about day trips?

Fortunately, it is very easy to take day trips from Antwerp. While Brussels, Bruges and Ghent are the obvious choices, guests who have time should also consider:

Leuven, a university town known for its town hall, breweries, markets and Dirk Bouts’ The Last Supper.

Waterloo, known for the remnants of Napoleon’s final defeat.

Mechelen, one of Flanders’ prominent cities for historical art.

Maastricht, in the Netherlands, a beautiful medieval city and the birthplace of the euro.

And not a day trip, but it is very nice to go to Kanaal and visit the Axel Vervoordt gallery.

Also not a day trip, but for art lovers, Middleheim which is a bit out of town has a wonderful sculpture garden.

What’s a recent unusual guest request?

Many people want to know that. My answer isn’t to describe getting hard-to-get tickets, arranging a special private dinner or getting an exclusive shop to open privately for a guest.

I do those things and much more, but I don’t believe those are unusual. Those are my job.

I would answer your question by saying the most unique thing I do is put people together.

My special sauce is networking.

People trust me, and I have many, many people I have connected with throughout the years. When I see that I can be helpful by connecting people who don’t know each other, that is where I can make magic.

One example is a guest who confides in me that she is having a hard time finding a place to buy a home in Antwerp. I connect her with a trusted agent I personally know who specializes in what she says she is looking for.

Another example is a businessman who comes here often and recently seemed concerned because there was a small but important piece of his current transaction with which he was struggling. I was able to put him in touch with someone very specific, and they ended up working together.

In examples like these, where I am simply providing an introduction and letting the parties decide if they want to connect, I often get feedback that it was the most helpful part of the guest’s stay.

My passion is networking, and when you love something, you want to share it.

What do you do when you encounter someone who isn’t happy—maybe with good reason, maybe not?

The most important thing is to stop and listen.

Don’t talk. Listen.

Don’t explain. Listen.

Don’t justify. Listen.

Once the guest feels heard, I can see what I can do to turn the situation around. I have to feel their pain before I can be effective.

The one thing I will not do is be false about what can be done. I will present realistic alternatives, but I won’t just commiserate for the sake of commiserating.

To me, there is nothing worse than being part of a pity party.

If there is a problem, there will be possible solutions. I will be practical and I will be empathetic, but I will not hide the ball or engage in the blame game.

The guest will know that I am dealing with the matter directly and honestly, and I have always been able to come to a good outcome for a guest, whether the unhappiness comes from a legitimate problem or an emotional feeling.

Anything more you would like to comment on?

Today there is a lot of talk about AI-artificial intelligence. Yes, we can and do use that tool to help guests, as long as we know the source of the information and double-check it.

But many are concerned about AI replacing humans in the world. The one area where that will not happen is this job.

For me, I have the heart and soul of the guest as my top priority, and no AI will ever be able to replace that. AI cannot achieve the personalized service we offer or engage in the feedback loop that has us constantly improving the guest experience.

I developed a digital card that I give to guests as an aid to their enjoyment of the city. That card is just a supplement. It cannot do what Billy and I do as a team for our guests.

Every guest request, whether simple or complex, is an opportunity to create trust and deliver seamless, personalized experiences.

The magic is made with the human connection.

It is not an emotional feeling. It is in the soul of a true concierge.

It is in my soul.

I so enjoyed my interview with Antoine. In a city famous for finding and polishing diamonds, Antoine’s brilliance is unique. Many people in Antwerp and in the world are familiar with the Antwerp Six. In my estimation, Antoine is the Antwerp Fix!

Antoine gave me a parting gift of a small book of Antwerp’s hidden secrets.

As with all of my interviews, I decide to follow some of the suggestions I have learned from my subject. Antoine’s book suggest a wonderful garden called Begunhof that I have not visited yet, so I decide now is the time.

Begunhof dates back to the 16th century. Begijnhofen were communities where unmarried women lived together supporting each other financially and socially. They didn’t take monastic vows, but faith was important in their lives. Today all the buildings are inhabited by ordinary citizens (the last Beguine died in 1986) but the place still feels sacred and calm. I tram out to the university area and then walk about 15 minutes to find myself transported to another time.

It is still early and the day has gotten gorgeous, so I have time to go a little farther to Middleheim. This requires a bit of a bus ride followed by a 25 minutes walk. When I get off the bus, I feel like I am back in California. The weather and the houses and people all make it appear that I am walking in my neighborhood in Menlo Park.

I get to the entrance to Middleheim and talk to a docent about its history. Middleheim is a huge open air sculpture park with over 400 pieces of art on display. The area used to be used as a summer residence for rich merchants from Antwerp in the 18th century. It changed hands several times before being sold to the Antwerp municipality in 1910. I don’t know what I want to see, so I just start strolling.

I am so taken with this sculpture garden that I stay much longer than I intended. By the time I get back to my apartment it is getting dark. Fortunately for me, the terrazzo culture of Antwerp affords me the opportunity to just walk outside my door and sit down at one of the many cafes on my circle and have a lovely dinner.

It’s been a wonderful day! Thanks for following along. I have one last post from Antwerp and then I’m off to Ljubljana. Slovenia!

There is a rhythm to Shirleyfest that even though this is the 16th Shirleyfest, I am always delighted when I realize it all over again. The first few days is a big learning curve. It’s exciting because everything is new, but discombobulating because I must figure everything out all over again. I’m thrilled by the architecture, but I go the wrong way on the trams. I swoon over the bakery windows, but I don’t know I have to scan my receipt to get out of the grocery store.

My block is delightful, filled with restaurants and bars, but all the appliances in my apartment have operating symbols that even google has trouble deciphering.

Then the week unfolds and I get more organized about my time, and I meet some really nice local people through “lines in the water” introductions, and visitors from other Shirleyfests show up and we laugh and laugh and I realize how lucky I am to have this international community. The beauty and the excitement are there and now I am fairly at ease with the differences.

The second week I venture out on some day trips and have such a sense of satisfaction that I manage the logistics and dodge the bicycles and scooters.

I find the absolute best restaurant in a new place to enjoy. But of course there is the inevitable wrong turn or trains that break down and then I set the washing machine on a setting that doesn’t take 30 minutes, it takes 3 hours.

Now I am in week three and I sit in cafés and observe the surroundings and the people, I stop in a store and instead of shopping I talk to the owner for an hour and we exchange emails and when I have lunch the local couple next to me start talking to me in Dutch and they laugh when I say “Sorry, may I speak English to you”. They of course speak perfect English and by the end of lunch we have arranged a coffee date in a few days.

I could graph this predictable pattern, but because each new Shirleyfest city has its charm, quirks and gifts for me, the pattern creeps up on me and then I realize it is happening. About now I realize as much as I think I am becoming a local, I really will need to move here to absorb the finer points. I really must.

This third post has two main themes: my birthday and my visitors from Paris.

The day before my birthday, I go to the Botanic Sanctuary Hotel to interview the Head Concierge of the hotel.

I have been doing a series on General Managers and Head Concierges for a while and I am so looking forward to meeting Antoine Cuypers. The interview will be in a separate post, but for now I’ll tell you that we meet and have a lovely tour of the property.

After the interview, I decide to sit in the lobby to arrange my notes when along comes a glass of champagne to help me with that!

The next day is my birthday.This day so exemplifies why I do this each year. Let me share the day with you.

I wake up early and go to Café Canelé. I have passed this place for over two weeks now and resisted. Today I will treat myself to a canelé.

A canelé is a small, traditional French pastry from the Bordeaux region with a thick, dark, caramelized crust and a soft, tender, custard-like center. Created in the 17th century by nuns, local winemakers used egg whites to clarify wine and gave the leftover egg yolks to the nuns, who used them to make these pastries. You either coat the molds with beeswax or butter. I asked the owner of this shop and they use beeswax.

It is becoming light and I decide to do a birthday walk along the river. It is so peaceful and calm with just a few runners and walkers on the path.

At the end, I turn into town and by now the shops are opening and I buy some birthday sunglasses at Massimo Dutti.

But I need to get back, as Luc is coming over and we are having lunch today at Sir Anthony Van Dyke. Luc arrives on his bike and chains it to a tree outside my door.

He brings me a lovely card and a book that I’m so looking forward to reading and we walk off toward the center of town. We arrive at the restaurant and ring the doorbell. This restaurant is housed in a historic building from 1557 and is in the picturesque alley called Vlaeykensgang which I wrote about in my last post. Time seems to stand still here. This serene oasis was crafted by the genius of Axel Vervoordt, the same man I wrote about with the unusual art installation in Kanaal.

We are ushered to a serene dining room by Steven.

The meal starts with a salad of house cured coppa, topped with hazelnuts and fresh herbs and greens.

Next we have halibut in a Dijon sauce.

Finally the meal ends with an eclair with berries and ice cream. Steven overhears us talking and writes congratulations on my dessert plate.

Actually it doesn’t end there. There is coffee with sweets.

This is such a delightful meal.

Afterwards we go over to check out the Church of St Paul. Unfortunately, there is much restoration going on, but we do manage to see a bit of the old church as well as the crypts.

We head back to my apartment where we are met by a florist delivery person with lovely flowers from my sister, MJ. She often visits me on my birthday during my Shirleyfests so it’s nice to have her presence with her gift of flowers.

Luc says goodbye and I quickly change clothes as I am heading to the Botanic Sanctuary spa for my birthday treat.

Let’s start with the rooftop pool!

After the pool, I use the sauna, have my spa treatment and finish with tea in the greenhouse.

I am ready for the hotel bar and a birthday drink. Turns out the bartenders are ready for me as well. After a beer and some amazing fries, they decide I need a birthday cake.

Heading home I am once again struck by how memorable every birthday has been on Shirleyfest.Can you remember the details of each of your last 16 birthdays? I can tell you exactly how I spent each of those 16 birthdays because I was always somewhere different, enjoying either visitors from home or new friends.

The next day I wander about town when I receive a call from a florist that I need to meet him at my apartment. I go home to find an enormous bouquet of flowers from Laura and Alex.

So thoughtful! Laura visited me in Paris for my birthday last year, so once again I feel her (and Alex’s) presence for my birthday. My birthday continues another day!!

After arranging the flowers into a vase, I venture back in to town for a bit of shopping when I spy Le Labo, my favorite parfumerie. September is when Le Labo puts out the “city scents”so I eagerly go in to see if there is an Antwerp City Scent. There is not, but there is Alex, mixing perfume for a customer.

When he and I are alone in the store, we have a wonderful conversation. I learn a lot about the technique of making the perfumes, but also about his love of travel. He is excited to read my blog, not only on Antwerp, but also Kyoto, as he is going to Japan soon. He also gives me a special list of local Antwerp places. Some I have tried, but many are to be explored.

Across the street is Luddites. A bookstore with a wine bar on the top floor. What a delightful idea. I spend some time here!

Friday, I decide to hit two of the coffeehouses on Alex’s list that I haven’t tried. First up is Andy’s. It is so busy I get a take-away coffee rather than fight for a table.

From there I head to Nordica. This is more serene and I sit with a tea and a fabulous yogurt bowl with granola and figs.

I have a late lunch today at KRIJT (the name means Chalkboard). Once a week this restaurant, run by husband and wife Sally and Bart, does a plat du jour fish meal. I had read about this and reserved ahead. I sat at the counter and watched them make everything in their small kitchen.

Along with bread served with whipped French butter, the first course is chilled steamed mussels in a delicious broth of white wine, lemon and shallots.

Next is a Rog fish (Skatefish) in a caper sauce. Served with celeriac and potatoes whipped with olive oil.

Finally coffee with a canalé ( twice in one week!).

Bart is working away, but Sally takes the time to tell me other good places in the neighborhood and where to buy certain ingredients for the canelé. The local chefs here are so friendly.

Speaking of friends, Saturday morning, Elena and Sylvain arrive from Paris. I met this lovely couple last year in Paris and Elena actually came to Shirleyfest Lyon the month after I met her. They have taken the Eurostar here. They have never been to Antwerp, so we are off to the historic center accompanied by their little dog Rita.

We go to Het Steel to get a sense of Antwerp. Afterwards we have lunch at ‘t hofke in the Vlaeykensgang passageway.

Then we walk to MAS and see the panorama from the top.

I leave them to wander while I go again to 5:30 mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady.

This time I was very brave and did take a picture of the bar in the church where the social hour is held after mass. Lightening did not strike me.

I pick them up at their hotel and we head to Lito for dinner.

We have a great table and everyone is quite attentive. We start with the Ukrainian sampler appetizers and then wait a very long time for the rest of our meal. Champagne is brought to celebrate my birthday by one of the waiters I met last time.

The restaurant is full and the kitchen is working at full speed, but it is quite late when I am finally digging into my duck breast, which is delicious!

On Sunday we start at the Royal Museum of Fine Art museum where an art fair is taking place outside.

Then Elena and I tour the young fashion designers exhibit which is interspersed with the art.

Afterwards we have a coffee in the beautiful Madonna bar.

Sylvain and Rita meet up with us in Stadtpark before we uber to Tinsel for lunch.

Afterwards I take them to see the wooden escalator at Sint-Annatunnel.

We try to go to Handelsbeurs, the stock exchange, but a private event is being held there. When we talk with the “bouncer” we find out it isn’t so much private as it is an opportunity to buy a ticket to wine tasting. We don’t have time for that, but on the pretense of perhaps attending we do get in to let Elena and Sylvain see the beautiful architecture.

From there we go to Luddites which is the gorgeous bookstore with a wine bar that I was at earlier in the week. It s a nice respite from all the walking. Turns out they don’t have Coke Zero, but I’m starting to like this European substitute.

Later we meet for pizza at Gio’s.

They are taking the 9:30 pm train back to Paris so we reluctantly say goodbye until the next meet up.Their taxi pulls up and I am sad to see them leave.

I’ve been looking all day for a pharmacy that is open on Sunday to get some Tylenol. As their taxi pulls away, I do a little research and find exactly one pharmacy open now and it’s a 15 minute walk away. Off I go. Sure enough it is open and I get what I came for. Interestingly if you go to a pharmacy on a Sunday night you pay an extra 7 euros for the privilege of it being open. I think it is a good idea! It’s 10:00 now. Too late and too dark to walk back to the apartment so I call an uber and I am home in 5 minutes.

That my friends is a wrap on week 3 of Antwerp Shirleyfest.

I’ll post my interview with Antoine Cuypers soon. Until then, thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment.

Let’s start with a fun fact I’ve discovered on this Shirleyfest. On the same day I had a black coffee at the train station, a small bottle of still water at a café and a draft beer at a famous artisanal brewery. The fun fact: They all cost exactly the same! In France only the uninformed buy bottled water at restaurants. In France you just say “une carafe d’eau” and you get a lovely free carafe of water at any place you go. It’s the law. No such law in Belgium.

I head out in the early sunny morning to the area called Cogels-Osylei, a residential boulevard in the Zurenborg district of Antwerp, widely considered one of the most beautiful streets in Belgium. The area was developed primarily between 1894 and 1906 and features a high concentration of opulent townhouses, mansions, and small palaces. It is a long street so I go down one side and then back up the other.

After admiring home after home, I stop for a coffee and treat before heading back to my apartment.

After a quick lunch in my neighborhood, I start my walk to MAS, “Museum by the River”, which was opened to the public in 2011. The first thing I notice is the amazing architecture. It is 10 stories high and each story is stacked like a box on top of the story below. I squint and see that all over the outside of the building are little hand sculptures. This is a nod to the legend of Antwerp getting its name from “Ant” (hand) “twerp” (throwing) whereby their version of a David cut off the hand of the big bad giant (Goliath) and threw it in the Scheldt River.

I start at the top for a panoramic view of Antwerp then methodically work my way through each of the floors. The exhibitions all had a ton of effort put into them and it was fairly well attended by all ages. I would have to say the fact that 60% of the exhibits are interactive which is what attracts the students, is not something I love.

I do love a good Belgium beer, so after leaving the museum I went nearby to one of the oldest bars in Antwerp, ‘t Licht der Dokken (The Light of the Docks). It was fun sitting outside on the canal and watching the locals consume copious amounts of beer.

The next day I decide to do a day trip to Ghent. Ghent is a port city, at the confluence of the Leie and Scheldt rivers. During the Middle Ages it was a prominent city-state. Today it’s a university town and cultural hub. Its pedestrianized center is known for medieval architecture such as the 12th-century castle and a row of guildhalls beside the Leie river harbor. I take a tram to the smaller Antwerp Zuid train station and it is a piece of cake to get to Ghent.

I walk about 15 minutes from the Ghent train station into town. I do a self guided walking tour. Everything is story book beautiful.

As I often do during day trips, I made a reservation for an afternoon lunch at a Michelin 1 star restaurant. Publiek exceeded my expectations. Take a look!

I happily walk back to the station for my short train ride back to Antwerp……nope! About 15 minutes into the ride the train stops at a small station and we are all told to get off the train. There is an issue on the track. It is pretty confusing what they want us all to do, but I find a conductor and he said if I’m willing to go to any station in Antwerp I should get on the next train to Mechelen (going the opposite way I want to go and then from there I can get a train to Antwerp. Off I go to sort out the track to Mechelen. It all worked out but what should have been a 50 minute train ride was 3 hours to get back to Antwerp. Good thing I had that delicious multi course lunch to keep me happy.

Today is another sunny day and I map out a walking route that has me go to the Modern Art Museum, then visit a secret historic alley in the center of town and finally the Red Star Line Museum. The walk is beautiful. The Modern Art Museum is…well contemporary.

As I walk towards the center I see Funk Bakery which I’ve being wanting to go to. I make a quick stop. I usually don’t go for the chocolate croissants, but something told me in Chocolate-focused Belgium that would be a good choice.

Oh my gosh! Instead of bits of chocolate there were delicious bars of chocolate embedded in the croissant. Good thing this is a long walking day.

Vlaeykensgang Alley is a medieval lane from 1591. Very few people even know it exists.It is a little street with covered passages leading to many courtyards surrounded by ancient houses. There was a young school group there being lead by a priest and they were so cute and well behaved. I noticed two restaurants in the passage that I want to come back to.

Finally I get to the Red Star Line Museum that is about as far north as you can go in Antwerp. The Red Star Line was the original shipping line that brought nearly 3 million immigrants to primarily Philadelphia and New York from Antwerp from 1872 and 1935. The museum is in an old warehouse at the port. I was blown away by the exhibits. Every detail was presented in photographs, videos and commentary. It was fascinating, sad, enlightening, and hopeful all rolled into one. It was beyond moving! I spent a long time here and I might go back again.

The last exhibition at the museum is a video called “Dance”. It is a modern day depiction of immigration. I was mesmerized. When I got home I found it on YouTube and watched it several more times. I tried to link it here but YouTube wasn’t having that. You can look it up—-it’s Hans Op de Beeck and it’s called “Dance”. It is for mature audiences.

But now I got to get home to get ready for dinner at Lito. In my last post I mentioned I talked to the chef and sous chef outside the restaurant last week. I told them I had an upcoming reservations. Well it was like I was family when I came in. They came out to greet me and honestly I felt so special! Immediately the chef sent out some tasty and beautifully arranged mussels as a gift and then each course was better than the one before.

Friday I have plans with two different local new friends who I mentioned in my last post. Sophie and Luc. First I meet Sophie at the Photography Museum (FOMO) . This is also an excellent museum. We explore each floor before having lunch in the museum cafe.

I really like Sophie and I got to learn how she became of all things a Lindy-Hop dance teacher with her partner Ivo. She is a good example of how so much of our paths are unplanned opportunities that we recognize and take a chance to pursue.

I quickly get back to my apartment because Luc is coming by to take me to some new places in Antwerp and then cooking me dinner at his home. We start with the Rockox museum which I have been wanting to get to. It is located in two neighboring townhouses formerly owned by the artist Frans Synder and the mayor Nicholas Rockox. It is owned by KBC bank and showcases a collection of 16th and 17th century Flemish art. My favorite piece is the one by Breuguel, Netherlandish Proverbs. It is a 1559 oil-on-oak-panel painting that depicts a scene in which humans and, to a lesser extent, animals and objects, offer literal illustrations of Dutch-language proverbs and idioms. Luc and I have such a good time trying to guess what the proverb is from the art. Then we turn around and see there is an interactive display where you slide your finger over the area and it tells you the proverb. To our credit we got many of them right. Take a look and see if you can get some of them.

From there we go to the university area. I’m not sure I could have found this area without Luc and I love being there. The University of Antwerp has about 20,000 students, which makes it the third-largest university in Flanders. We stop at a cafe on what seems to be the University of Antwerp equivalent of Washington Square Park at NYU.

We also take a detour down the one block street of the red light district of Antwerp.

Now we are at Luc’s beautiful restored home and he is quite the cook. He patiently explains how he made each course and I am going to try to replicate some of his dishes.

Saturday Sophie has agreed to go with me to Axel-Voordt which is a bit out of Antwerp in a tower called Wijnegem. Shout out to my friend Maryan who told me it was a must see when I am in Antwerp. When I told Sophie I was going she said she had never been and always wanted to go. I said, “Great, let’s go on Saturday. It’s a 90 minute bus ride.” She laughed so hard.”I’ll drive” she said.

We arrive when it opens at 11am. Originally built in 1857, the site was a former distillery and malting complex. The existing architecture included brick warehouses and concrete grain silos situated along the banks of the Albert Canal. We are so curious as to how the art will be presented. Wow!

The installations and exhibition spaces rely on the bones of the existing industrial architecture and were designed to give new purpose to the old buildings. A James Turrell light piece, “Red Shift”, from 1995 is permanently installed in a disused chapel. Works by Marina Abramovic, Otto Bol, Kimsooja, Tatsuo Miyajima, Otto Piene, Takis, and Angel Vergara are installed at the base of several converted grain silos. These are in addition to a permanent installation by Anish Kapoor titled, “At the Edge of the World”. I’ve seen Anish Kapoor’s works and installations all over the world and this was just spectacular.

I’m not sure my pictures can do justice to this installation, but I am so very happy I came to this site.

We had lunch at a very nice restaurant on the premises called Silo. When we arrived we noticed a fairly big crowd of all ages milling about. Turns out a wedding had just taken place next door and the bride and groom’s family were hosting their wedding lunch there. The food was excellent and the space really pretty.

I get back in time to go to 5:30 mass again at the Cathedral of Our Lady. Father Bart remembers me and we chat after mass. They have a “social hour” after the mass so I went to check it out. At my church at home that means coffee and donuts outside the church. Here right inside the Cathedral and beside the sacristy there is a FULL BAR. I really want to take a photo, but I also really don’t want to get struck lightening so I don’t. I have to admit it was pretty cool.

I know tomorrow is going to be rainy so I set my alarm and am up early to go to the central station to take the hour train to Brussels. I am early enough to have a coffee in the Grand Cafe at the train station. Such a pleasure.

I signed up for a walking tour so I quickly go to the main square when the train arrives. It is a great tour. We cover all of Brussels.

This last picture (video) requires an explanation. Apparently the mascot of Brussels is Manneken Pis (a nude boy urinating into a fountain) There are so many legends about why this statue is the famous symbol of Brussels I dont know what to believe. Here is the video.

After the walking tour, I go to the famous coffeehouse Bouche which is in the museum area.

While I am outside sipping my coffee, an impromptu parade goes by.

Then I go to the René Magritte museum, opened in 2009. I am in heaven. Three floors of Magritte art.

I decide to also take in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts as it is right next door. It is the most visited museums in Belgium as it contains paintings by Ruben, van Dyck, Hals, Bruegel and many other Old Masters. The museum was founded by Napoleon in 1801 and its is a fantastic building to explore.

Now a dilemma. Should I train back or traverse the town to Delirium, the famous artisanal beer house of Brussels? It is three levels and holds the Guinness World Record for offering over 2,000 types of beer. What do you think?

Now I must go. I make my way back to the Brussels Train Station. Punch my destination into my rail app and download a first class ticket back to Antwerp for the tidy sum of 5 euros. What a day!

Actually what a week! Thanks for following along. Please feel free to leave a comment below. Coming up in this next week, I have visitors from Paris arriving!

Spoiler alert..the week turns out great. Here I am siting in my beautiful Antwerp apartment writing this first post.

I tell you that up front because it had an auspicious start. Three days before I was to board my KLM flight to Amsterdam, I check the Netherland’s train app to see which train to take south to Antwerp upon my September 9th arrival. The screen immediately pops up with a big red alert—TRAIN STRIKE—NO TRAINS ON SEPTEMBER 9th. Lovely. With the help of European friends,Ivan and Nick, I look at all my alternatives….fly to Brussels or Paris and take the Eurostar to Antwerp, stay at the airport hotel until the strike is over, rent a car??? I reached out to my landlord in Antwerp, who despite being at a wedding in Greece, kindly said he would go to work on a solution. I wait. As I wait, suddenly a once resolved (?) health issue reappears and after a quick consult with my doctor, I’m instructed to arrange a STAT ultrasound on my temporal arteries over Labor Day weekend. It is no easy feat to work oneself into the radiology system on a holiday weekend, but I succeed in worming my way in and then I wait for the results. Wait Wait Wait..for everything. Then within minutes of each other my landlord messages me that his daughter’s boyfriend will pick me up in Amsterdam and drive me to Antwerp and an alert buzzes on my phone that the radiology report is ready and I am perfectly fine…cleared for takeoff!

I arrive to a downpour in Amsterdam and am so happy to see young Max at the curb waving at me. We quickly head out and make it easily to Antwerp. While I only have a carryon, I am grateful to have Max take it up the four flights of stairs to my apartment.

It is a beautiful place.

I quickly unpack, shower and head out to explore my new neighborhood—Antwerp Zuid. I am right on a big circle with restaurants and coffeehouses lining the circle.

I walk into the old town and admire the Cathedral of Our Lady and historic center.

Jet lag has me soon returning to my neighborhood for a simple dinner.

The next morning I look out my window and see it will be a sunny and bright day.

I join a walking tour of the historic center. I have to admit I was surprised to learn that Antwerp was at one time larger than London. During the 16th century it was one of Europe’s most important trade and financial centers. In the mid1500’s it was the second largest city in Europe after Paris.

Following the tour, I stop for lunch at Cafe de Armis.

I then head to the Central Station where I have made an appointment with Alda, a volunteer with International Greeters. Antwerp’s Central Station is rightly considered one of the most beautiful train stations in the world.

Over coffee she does a wonderful job of explaining many of the neighborhoods and life as a local. She then walks me through some of the areas I would have missed without her guidance. She has brought me traditional Belgium cookies and a carefully annotated map, both of which I appreciated greatly. That night I eat on my circle at Maccine, recommended by a new neighbor of mine.

Friday dawns bright and sunny again and I first stop to see the 3×3 European basketball tournament.

I go back to the train station to get my all important annual transit pass.

I’ve also purchased an annual museum pass and I put it to use at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts which is only blocks from my apartment.

There is a special exhibit of the English sculptor Antony Gormley which I really enjoy.

I’ll come back but I have to go peek at the Rubens room before I leave. I walk along the Scheldt River. It’s a windy day but the views from the boardwalk are lovely.

I want to find the Sint-Annatunnel. The Sint-Annatunnel is a historic pedestrian and cyclist tunnel beneath the Scheldt River, connecting the city’s historic center with the Left Bank. Opened in 1933, it was designed to facilitate movement between the two banks without disrupting maritime traffic, featuring original wooden escalators and Art Deco architecture. It was recognized as a protected monument in 1997. I find it and go down it and under the river to the other side.

It is so odd to be on the wooden escalator along side so many bicyclists. On my way home I stop by the restaurant Lito. I follow the chef, Igor, on Instagram and he is siting outside talking to his sous chef Chala. I have a reservation there for later in my trip but it was fun to just sit and chat with them before they started the dinner preparation. For my dinner I stop again on the circle and have a delicious meal at Lucy Chang’s.

Saturday Market is a tradition in Antwerp and I love markets so I walk there. It is huge!

Loads of flower stands, prepared foods, cheeses, vegetables and fruits.I buy some flowers and cheeses and then get distracted by the Moroccan pancake stand. I go for the fully loaded one with chicken, cheese, peppers and even a whole dolma inside.

I head home with my wares as Nick and Ivan arrive this afternoon. They have come to 8 Shirleyfests since I met them at Berlin Shirleyfest. They are staying at the lovely Hotel Julien and so I head there. First things first, we find the gorgeous bar!

Later Nick and I go to 5:30 mass at The Cathedral of Our Lady.

This is the largest Gothic church in Belgium and houses several Ruben masterpieces. Started in 1352 it took 170 years to build. After mass Nick goes to find the organist and I talk to Father Bart (he says “My name is Father Bart, like Bart Simpson”). Then we meet up with Ivan and we uber quite a distance to the restaurant Danieli Il Divino.

This is quite the famous spot in Antwerp as the restaurant has existed in Parc de Brandt for 25 years. It is a very popular place with classically trained waiters and amazing food and wine. We have a long dinner before catching an uber home.

Sunday is open monument day in Antwerp. Ivan has selected a couple of places for us to go visit. We walk first towards the Bourgerhout neighborhood.

We first stop at a new place only open one week called Scottie’s where we meet owner Arno Scott. We have coffees and cakes. This place would fit right in with San Francisco’s dogpatch neighborhood. Across the street is Districhuis, a former town hall. It was originally constructed to showcase the wealth and political independence of Borgerhout during a booming economic period. Since Borgerhout merged with the city of Antwerp in 1983, it has functioned as the district house rather than an independent town hall.

On the second floor, seven dancers in period costumes entertain us and we roam about the building afterwards pretending we are officials.

Walking back to the other side of town we stop quickly for lunch and move on to St Paul’s church where we were entertained by a woman playing a Spanish 12 string guitar.

We part ways before reconnecting for drinks later at Hotel Julian to meet Guy and Luc, friends of Ivan and Nick. Over a nice bottle of wine I learned a great deal about their local life in Antwerp and I hope to meet up with them both again during this trip.

Now we are off to Fiskebar in my neighborhood. I go with octopus and crab cakes which are very good but I’m a bit envious of Nick’s mussels and frites.

The guys come over to see my place afterwards and then they walk back to their hotel.

It’s my visitors last day so we start first at their hotel to have coffee with their friend Sophie. She’s delightful. She and her husband are dance teachers specializing in the Lindy Hop. She and I make plans to get together soon and she is off to work. We are off to Het Steen, the famous Antwerp Castle.Het Steen is a medieval fortress on the Scheldt River in Antwerp. Built in the early 13th century, it is the city’s oldest preserved building. Originally part of the city’s defenses, it later served as a prison and is now a visitor center and museum. Its name means “The Stone,” reflecting its stone construction. There is an expansive history of Antwerp exhibit inside the castle which guides the visitor to all the other wonderful museums in Antwerp.

Lunch today is at Cafe Arte nearby.

Tonight we take the train about 30 minutes outside of town to Ivan’s dad’s home. We walk about 20 minutes after getting off the train. There is a bread vending machine on the sidewalk as we pass!

Ivan’s dad has prepared us a lovely dinner and it is such a festive evening!

We train home and sadly I say goodbye to my dear friends until the next time we meet.

Tomorrow I’m planning to head out to Cogels-Oyslei, considered one of the most beautiful streets in the world, Stay tuned and please do leave a comment below.