The discussion on the destination for our day trip was a complicated one. Each of Brussels, Bruges, and Antwerp had its charm. While architectural beauty, shopping, tourism, and liveliness all played a role, ease of travel was the winner. Antwerp was a short, affordable 2-hour train ride away. It still offered a lively market area and a wonderful church in the center. On a long trip, a relaxing day trip was quite enticing. The city also offered some amazing surprises, so it turned out to be a good decision.

The day started as usual, with the excellent hotel breakfast. The train station was a ten-minute walk away. It wasn’t too tough to find a train leaving for Antwerp. We found comfortable seats on the largely empty train. The ride was largely uneventful, with only a brief stop at the airport and then in Rotterdam. The Antwerp train station is a sight to behold. It’s a stunning structure which is more vertical than horizontal. There are multiple floors, and there are 2 train tracks on each floor – making for an architectural marvel.

We walked out of the station right into a market area. It was a great walk around place with some cafes, shopping, and some interesting baroque architecture. Before indulging in any shopping, we wanted to find the most visited place in Antwerp, the Cathedral of Our Lady. This is the largest Gothic church in Belgium, standing a towering 123 meters tall. The Cathedral was a 20-minute walk away. We walked right through the central commercial street of Antwerp. It was a fun walk with a wonderful ending. We had to wait for our friends at the Cathedral. I spent that time tasting some Belgian beer at a store just outside. The area is really fun to be in. There are many small stores and some street art. A couple of buildings are also worth watching. The famous Grote market was also just around the corner.

We spend a lot of time in the Cathedral. It is full of incredible Baroque art. There are pieces from many well-known European artists, especially from Peter Rubens. At the outset, most European cathedrals look quite similar. However, once you start appreciating their scale and the unique artwork, each one has a soul of its own. They come alive in how they bring out the colors of the mosaic windows and depictions of Biblical themes. There was so much to walk around and click on this one – a photographer’s delight.

All the walking around had made us hungry. We relied on Google reviews to find us some good food in the area. We walked for a while. We didn’t seem to like the looks or the menu of places with good reviews. This was till we found this lovely looking Pizza place at the corner of the Grote Market. The food was not the best, but good. The ambiance and the vibe of the place were fantastic.

We spent the next few hours walking around and buying some random things. We had not saved enough appetite for the famous Belgian Fries. Yet, we hoped the walk would help build some appetite. We spent a lot of time in stores. I was not hungry enough for fries. Still, I did enjoy a glass of wine before walking back to the train station. We had considered a small trolley tour of the city, but the shopping had taken too much time.

The train ride was relaxing and comfortable. However, this time we got a train to Amsterdam South. It’s a train station, a little far from our hotel. We switched trains at the airport. This allowed us to get a direct ride to Amsterdam Centraal. It is a 5-minute walk away from the hotel. I didn’t expect it, but we were hungry by the time we got back. A quick bite at a restaurant close to the hotel followed, and we were ready for bed. A day well spent.