Day Trip: Antwerpen

Tomorrow marks our first week in Leuven. It's crazy how much we've crammed into a week, but things are finally settling down and soon we start our classes. Yesterday, our program took us on a day trip to Antwerpen where we got to explore much of the city. Our train left at precisely 9 a.m. and we were off on an hour ride to the northern part of Belgium. I absolutely love taking the train in Europe, as it is so wonderful getting to ride through the small towns and beautiful homes you find in the countryside.

Upon arriving, our massive group of 39 students split up into 2 groups. While I love learning about the history of the places I visit, I was not a major fan of our tour guide. He was very informative, but he showed us some very odd things, one of which included the parking garage below the train station we got off at (?). By the end we finally got the opportunity to see some historical sites - thank goodness.

Centraal Station, Antwerp

The train station is absolutely beautiful, and one of Belgium's previous kings, Leopold II was attributed for making it all happen. It shares similar architecture to the Palace of Versailles in France as well the Pantheon in Rome - it's absolutely stunning inside as well.

As we continued our tour, we went through little alleyways that led to hidden gems including this one. It was just adorable, and I could've spent all afternoon walking through the cobblestone paths. 

By the end of our 3 hour tour, we saw the cathedral, Grote Markt, and a German neighborhood completely refurbished after the devastation the city experienced post-WWI. At this point, we were allowed to head off to do whatever we wished, so Izzy and I headed for Museum aan de Stroom (MAS). It's a modern museum that was just opened in 2011, offering stunning views of the city from the rooftop. If you ever visit, go here because it only cost us 3 euros to experience it all and let me tell you, it is worth it. 

Museum aan de Stroom

As you climb up the 10 stories, you get stunning views of the city. While you do so, there is much to be explored on each floor in regards to the history of Belgium and the integral role that Antwerp played in WWI. 

We ended up having wifi in the museum, so by the time we reached the top, I ended up getting to FaceTime my mom to show her the views of the city which was great. While it was extremely windy, we lucked out as there was never any rain throughout the day. 

All in all, Antwerpen treated us well - maybe i'll be back soon..