Antwerp Charm

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great and relaxing weekend.

I wanted to share with you some pictures of Antwerp, Belgium. Last Monday, the day of my B-Day actually, we stopped there for a few hours, on our way back home after spending a few days in the Dutch Coast.

Antwerp has a lot to offer: great museums (all were closed on Monday!), magnificent monuments and architecture, shopping or art galleries. We walked around the so-called historic center, where most part of the monuments and ancient buildings are located: the Cathedral, ancient city hall or the Grote Markt. The city of Antwerp played a pivotal role in Europe's history during the XVI-XIX centuries.  Also, Rubens, the painter, lived there for over a decade.







This statue tributes the ancient legend that ended up giving the name to the city. Antwerp means something like 'to throw a hand' in Dutch. Once upon a time, a giant called Antigoon lived by the Scheldt river. He was in charge of collecting a toll fee to those who wanted to cross the river. If they refused to pay, Antigoon would cut one of their hands and throw them to the river. Eventually, a young hero called Bravo, would confront the giant, cut its hand himself and throw it to the river. This statue represents Bravo's victory.

Hope you enjoy the rest of the pictures! Have a great week!