Archive for the 'Antwerp' Category

Secret Trackside Café in Antwerp

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

Who would expect to find a hidden elegant café in the Antwerp train station? Behind the magnificent facade of the old station (built by Leopold II in 1895), facing the tracks go to your extreme left hand corner. Inside the doors of the fancy looking café you will find sandwiches and 5 kinds of croque monsieur (variations on grilled cheese) without fancy prices.

TrainStation

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

Antwerp Central Station

You can buy real diamond jewelry right in the central train station in Antwerp, Belgium. The most important world diamond trade center is just right outside its doors.

Safety First – Antwerp

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

In Antwerp, when you walk through the world diamond center which sports four diamond exchanges (and 2 police stations), you will see men walking with their briefcases attached to them with chains.


MAS Museum in Antwerp

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

SP The brand sparkling new Museum Ann de Stroom, nicknamed MAS (www.mas.be) , is an eye-catching edifice and the new must-see spot in Antwerp, Belgium. Designed by Dutch architects from the firm Neutelings Riedijk, it is made of grids of rectangular stone and astonishing rippled glass walls. It is free to ride the escalators all the way up and then ascend 2 flights of stairs to view the city from its rooftop panorama. The building is an open house and there is a fee only to access the museum rooms.

The museum is a salute to the city, the river, its trade and shipping, the port, Antwerp and the world. Along the escalators there are display cases by eighty young people. In-house composer Eric Sleichem created sound sculptures for each floor. The musical pieces can be heard in the first area of each level. The best view of Museum Square is from the 5th floor MAS Boulevard. There you can get an overall view of the 1,600 piece mosaic by Luc Tuymans called “Dead Skull”, which refers to the commemorative plaque for painter Quinten Metsys on the facade of the Onza-Lieve-Vrouwekanthedral (Cathedral of Our Lady).

SP The brand sparkling new Museum Ann de Stroom, nicknamed MAS (www.mas.be) , is an eye-catching edifice and the new must-see spot in Antwerp, Belgium. Designed by Dutch architects from the firm Neutelings Riedijk, it is made of grids of rectangular stone and astonishing rippled glass walls. It is free to ride the escalators all the way up and then ascend 2 flights of stairs to view the city from its rooftop panorama. The building is an open house and there is a fee only to access the museum rooms.


The museum is a salute to the city, the river, its trade and shipping, the port, Antwerp and the world. Along the escalators there are display cases by eighty young people. In-house composer Eric Sleichem created sound sculptures for each floor. The musical pieces can be heard in the first area of each level. The best view of Museum Square is from the 5
th floor MAS Boulevard. There you can get an overall view of the 1,600 piece mosaic by Luc Tuymans called “Dead Skull”, which refers to the commemorative plaque for painter Quinten Metsys on the facade of the Onza-Lieve-Vrouwekanthedral (Cathedral of Our Lady).