And I'm back!! It's been a while since I wrote my last post on here, but I'm happy to be here again and to start fresh with new inspiration and ideas! Hope you're having a great summer so far?! The weather has been quite nice in Holland (rainy and windy days can't be avoided though haha), but still it's not bad. I've been travelling a lot this summer, through Italy, Spain, in my own country and a few days ago I went to Antwerp for the first time. I really wanted to go because I heard from many that it's a nice city to visit. I already went to Belgium, but that was I think more than 10 years ago, can't remember a lot from it.. So today I thought it would be fun to share my one day itinerary in Antwerp: What to Do and Where To Eat! If you're looking for some travel ideas and you're not sure what city is next on your bucket list, read further now! 

Meier Street Antwerp

MEIER STREET 
This is one of the most popular streets you can find in Antwerp. You can find mostly mainstream brands that I recognise from Holland as well, like for example the Hema, Blokker, Zara, Mango, etc. But it's nice to walk around in! It's nice that the Italian lingerie and swimwear brands called Calzedonia and Intimissimi are in this street as well, next to each other. My favourite shops!! When you walk right out of the Antwerpen central station and you walk straight on you almost can't miss this street. For more typical Belgium fashion stores or designer brands you can enter the tiny streets along the Meier Street, where you can find the smaller boutique stores. Besides for shopping, the street has beautiful buildings like the Stadsfeestzaal and the Royal Palace that are worth taking a glimpse of. There is also a Belgium department store Inno where you can find anything from electronics to beauty products which is worth a visit too.

Cathedral of our Lady

CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY 
This is a beautiful church located in the center of Antwerp. I decided to not go inside because I didn't have a lot of time, but next time I would love to go in. This gothic church is the tallest of Belgium with the tallest bell tower and is protected by the Unesco world heritage. The outside is made with an incredible amount of details as you can see above! To enter it's €6 for adults and €4 for children.
CAFÉS NEAR RUBENSHUIS
Close to the museum het Rubenshuis there are a lot of restaurants and cafés where you can eat really good. All of them looked good, and I think I have eaten the best lasagna ever (second best to those in Italy of course aha!). The only con is that it's quite expensive, so if you are planning on going out for lunch or dinner, prepare for spending a bit. However, it's completely worth it!

BELGIUM CHOCOLATES AND WAFFLES
If you Visit Antwerp, make sure to taste one of their chocolates or waffles as they are my favourite!! I always feel like when I travel somewhere, I come there for the food.. I would recommend to not go to the Pierre Marcolini shop for ice cream, it's €5 for a cup and it doesn't taste good. The shop also has lots of macarons and chocolates that do look really good, but I haven't tried them yet.

OTHER MUST VISITS

• HET EILANDJE. I was almost there, but because I already walked so much the whole day I decided that it was a bit too far, maybe next time. It's an abandoned port up until a few years ago when coffee bars and artists brought new life to this place. 
• CENTRAL STATION. The station of Antwerp is so big! It has multiple floors and the ceilings and all the ancients paintings are beautiful. It's a lot different from the stations I've seen so far, so definitely recommend going there. The main entrance is the most impressive part. 
• GROENPLAATS. A nice area in the city center with many cafés and bars, with a view of the Cathedral. 
• GROTE MARKT. On this square you'll the city hall from the 16th century, which is a huge building you can't miss. It dates back from the Renaissance and perfect if you want to take an Instagram worthy picture. In the middle of the Grote Markt you have the Brabo Fountain. Little background story: if someone refused to pay taxes, Brabo cut off a hand and threw it in the Scheldt. (Crazy right?!) This is also why the city is called Antwerpen, and handwerpen means to throw a hand. 
• MIDDELHEIM'S SCULPTURE PARK. A bit further from the city there is a park with an open air museum with contemporary art. Nice to escape to a more quiet place. Still on my list for next time! 
• DIAMOND DISTRICT. They always say diamonds are a girl's best friend. If you love jewellery than you must not forget this area in Antwerp! It's the city know for diamonds for decades. It's easily accessible as it's right across the central station. You can find markets and diamond shops. 
• THE RUBENS HOUSE. This is one of the most famous museums of Antwerp. In this palace, Rubens lived with his family. He made all his paintings at this home which you can visit to see his pieces of art. 

Thanks so much for reading today's post! I hope you enjoyed it!

QUESTION TIME - HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO ANTWERP?