My newest book:
Antwerp
The word to describe everyone we met in Antwerp is hospitable; we had a wonderful time in our (less than) 24 hours there. Antwerp is in the Flemish part of Belgium and it is a fantastic little city.
Again we arrived late at night. It was cold and dark, and it felt great to be welcomed at our B&B by AnneMarie Van Reede. Of all the places we stayed, this was our very favorite: beautifully simple and elegant.
In the morning we walked over to the studios of the Royal Ballet of Flanders, on the northern side of the city in the docklands, a very cool area. For her audition, Lydia took company class.
I love this picture from the front of their program. Ballet-goers in NYC may have seen them perform this past year at the Fall for Dance Festival - they were fantastic!
While Lydia was at the studios dancing, I walked everywhere, from one end to the other, and I was charmed by this city. In between class and returning in the afternoon to watch a rehearsal, Lydia also got a flavor of Antwerp. She even fit in a visit to her favorite store: H&M - they really seem to have one in every city. Don't ask me what the allure is!
But before we knew it, we had to make our way to the train station to be on our way next to Amsterdam. This was turning out to be a really exciting trip - we were having fun!
Maketh haste to the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum! Say hello to
Frans Banning Cocq for me.
In Amsterdam we did make it to the Van Gogh Museum, and it was a great
visit even though a bit rushed. There are definitely lots of reasons to
return to Amsterdam including the Rijksmuseum! In Antwerp I walked by but
didn't have time to visit the Ruben's Museum - next time!