Week 26: Christmas Revelry and Antwerp

This week the Belgium office hosted their Christmas/winter holiday celebration, a fun event where the entire office (all 6 of us that is!) went out to the Brussels Christmas market for some hot mulled wine and revelry before heading to a restaurant to dine. During our strolls through the picturesque mini-huts that comprise these markets throughout Europe, we discussed different family traditions and learned about the special treats consumed during the holidays in everyone’s home countries. We also admired a lights and music show, projected on the outside façade of the Cathedral Saint Catherine, themed for Japan this year. The dinner that followed was at a traditional Belgian restaurant, so delicacies including mussels and snails were ordered and enjoyed, while I stuck to a more predictable turkey in raspberry beer sauce. It was a merry time to be had by all.

On Sunday, I took a trip to the nearby city of Antwerp, to see what there was to see. Accompanied by a friend, we visited the famed Cathedral of our Lady, an enormous church whose spire towers unmistakably above the surrounding buildings. After a nice walk-through there, my friend and I sought lunch, and ended up walking into a fancy establishment that was full of people strictly over the age of 60. After viewing the menu (and the patronage) we decided it was not the place for us and continued on to a cute bakery full of sandwiches and more age-appropriate food.

Following our meal we took a walk down to the river to admire the water as the sun began to set, and were treated to an excellent view out to sea. Antwerp used to be one of the biggest port towns in Europe, and still functions as a working port today. On our return to the train station I managed to get lost (as usual) but unlike my typical wanderings through sleepy neighborhoods or hip streets, I looked up and found myself in the red light district. There’s nothing quite like admiring a local university’s classroom and empathizing with them about the horrible food probably served there (they had the same meal provider as my college) and looking up to see women in bikinis in windows and a street that only has men strolling down it. Needless to say, I took the opportunity to pull out Google Maps and find my way back to the enormous (and historic) train station for the ride back to Brussels.