Heading toward the Burgerij/MAS Museum
Last Sunday Koen’s parents came to Antwerp for a visit. We had wonderful, sunny weather and took a nice stroll through the city. After a delicious lunch at Burgerij, we checked out an exhibit about royal luggage and then walked a different route back to our apartment. It’s always fun playing the tour guide!
Koen and me outside of the Fiskebar
For Koen’s birthday, we celebrated with lunch with the family at the Fiskebar in Antwerp! Even though it was cold outside, the sun was shining. So it was a perfect day to go for a walk and then enjoy delicious wine and seafood with great people!
Lombardia
When my sister-in-law Barbara came to visit we had to decide where to lunch. I have a long (and growing) list of restaurants I’d like to try and Lombardia was on it! Lombardia serves organic, natural, eco-friendly food and drinks and is most known for it’s drink Ginger Love. The Wall Street Journal even listed the drink in its top 5 to-do list for Antwerp! Barbara and I enjoyed huge sandwiches loaded with vegetables and I of course ordered a Ginger Love!
Bourla, the building with the orange awning and outdoor seating
My colleagues and I finally celebrated Christmas dinner! Although the late dinner is attributed to scheduling conflicts, we wound up really enjoying the sunny weather by eating outside. The Bourla is located in the Graanmarkt, alongside many other cafés and restaurants – it’s nice area to relax for a drink, lunch, or dinner. Because the weather was warm outside, my menu consisted mostly of North Sea Shrimp!
Ladurée in Antwerp
I was so happy to find out earlier this year that Ladurée was not only opening it’s first Belgian store in Antwerp, but also on my street only a couple of doors down from my apartment! I have such fond memories of the original Ladurée in Paris. Koen proposed to me on the Champs-Élysées and then we celebrated with lunch at Ladurée. I love having a touch of Paris down the street.
Grayson and Tamar in Antwerp’s Central Station, fresh off of the train!
Before I can start posting my photos from New York City, I first want to make a post about Grayson and Tamar’s (my brother and sister-in-law’s) first trip to Antwerp! In early August they were traveling around Western Europe and made sure to stop over in Antwerp. Not only was it their first time visiting me in Antwerp, but also their first time in Belgium. We drank plenty of Belgian beer and ate a lot of Belgian chocolates and fries.
My mother-in-law, outside The Glorious
To celebrate Koen’s first paycheck from his new job, we invited Koen’s parents out for dinner at The Glorious. The Glorious’s sommelier, Jurgen Lijcops, who is often on Flemish TV speaking about wine, has created a winelist for the restaurant that is always evolving, depending on the month and season. For any wine lover, a trip to The Glorious is a must! I had been there once before for Christmas dinner with my colleagues and really enjoyed the food. Because of the wine and food, Koen and I thought this would be a great restaurant for celebrating his first paycheck! It was a bit more eventful than we expected (we were brought the wrong wine, the waiter spilled soup on my father-in-law, and a glass broke), but we still enjoyed the wine, food, and company!
Maison Clic’Eau
Yesterday was a holiday in Belgium, Dag van de Arbeid (Labor Day), and Koen and I enjoyed the sunny 65 degree weather by taking a long walk around Antwerp. We walked first through the Groenplaats and the Grote Markt, then to ‘t Eijlandje. Not quite ready to return home, we decided to try out a new restaurant, Maison Clic’Eau, to enjoy a few drinks on the terrace.
For the second part of Barbara and Sofie’s visit, we visited the Museum aan de stroom (MAS) and then after Barbara and I went to Lojola for coffee and cake.
Museum aan de stroom (MAS)
Museum aan de stroom (MAS)
Wednesday, August 15th, was a national holiday in Belgium. Because I am also off on Tuesdays, I invited Barbara and Sofie (2 of my sister-in-laws) to come to Antwerp and visit museums and also Rubensmarkt, a special market in the Grote Markt that always takes place on the 15th of August, where the vendors are all dressed in 17th century clothes. During the 2 days, we visited the Fotomuseum (FoMu), Sofie’s choice, and the Museum aan de stroom (MAS, featured in this post: Part II), Barbara’s choice. We also had time to visit a couple of cafés and make a delicious dinner!
Fotomuseum (FoMu)
Fotomuseum (FoMu)
An American in Antwerp 
