Antwerp Christmas Market in the Grote Markt
I always look forward to Christmas-time in Antwerp. Not only are the streets and trees filled with lights, but the Christmas market begins! Spread out around the city, little wooden stalls are set up where you can buy trinkets and sweets, and of course warm and strong drinks!
Turkey napkins
This year Koen and I decided to host a Thanksgiving dinner. It had been 3 years since my last Thanksgiving dinner, so I was excited to recreate all of the dishes – especially since I’ve been cooking so much this year. Koen and I divided the dishes and the results were delicious! I was so busy taking photos of all the food I forgot to take photos of us and our guests haha. But here are all of the dishes and links to the accompanying recipes.
Lumpy Space Princess (LSP) Pumpkin!
Koen and I decided this October to carve a pumpkin – only my 2nd while living in Antwerp (my 4th Halloween). I saw everyone’s pumpkin carving parties and felt the need to have my own private party with Koen. We weren’t sure what to carve, but then Koen found a lot of stencils from Adventure Time and we decided to carve one of our favorite characters – Lumpy Space Princess! We kept the jack-o-latern for 3 days and then realized why they’re kept outside in America; they really start to decay and smell awful!
Aquatopia – located at the entrance to Chinatown
Koen and I visited Aquatopia around Halloween! The entire aquarium was Halloween themed, so amongst the fish we found cobwebs, ghouls, ghosts, and grim reapers! I also don’t remember the names of the fish I took photos of, but I will describe them as best I can. There was also an incident where a snake slithered out of his habitat – so scary!
Vlaamse Opera, Antwerp
For my birthday, Koen bought special box tickets for Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde! Because it was opening weekend, there was also a 45 minute lecture before the opera began with dramaturge Luc Joosten, who went into detail explaining the history, development/inspiration, and theme. Koen and I both thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon and if you’re close to Antwerp or Ghent, you should definitely try to find tickets before it closes!
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!
An American in Antwerp 
