Shall I give you some hints? Diamonds, chocolates and beer. Fashion, art, finance and one of the most beautiful train stations in the world.

For five centuries the northern Belgian port city of Antwerp has been a thriving European center of diamonds, art and finance, with one of the world’s first stock exchanges. Works by the Flemish master Rubens welcome you into all the beautiful churches in the city. Europeans claim Antwerp to have the edgiest fashion and most unique design centers. All of these traits captivate me.

Moreover, flowing through Antwerp is the river Scheldt. Antwerp is linked to the North Sea by the river’s estuary. Antwerp is about 25 miles north of Brussels, and 9 miles south of the Dutch border. Antwerp’s port is one of the biggest in the world, ranking second in Europe after Rotterdam.

After 16 years of Shirleyfests, I know that a city with a river always brings interesting history to learn from and become immersed in. Since a big part of Shirleyfest is pumping up my right brain, I also love choosing a city known for art and fashion. For all of these reasons, Shirleyfest will be reporting from Antwerp, Belgium this fall.

But wait….there is a twist to this year’s Shirleyfest. Since I plan on doing many many more Shirleyfests, I decide to see if I can do a little reconnaissance on possible future Shirleyfest cities. Therefore, after my month in Antwerp, I will be spending a bit of time exploring two of those possibilities.

First up will be Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Following my time in Slovenia, I will fly to the beautiful seacoast city of Valencia, Spain

As with every year, please let me know if you know people in any of these cities. I am always happy to meet new people as I navigate my travels and do please follow along with me as I embark on Shirleyfest 16!