Is Antwerp a major european destination in development

Antwerp was a hard decision for me when it came to deciding upon my last few days of my European trip this time around. I had initially thought I'd visit Amsterdam again as this was my departure city out of Europe by plane. However I didn't pull the trigger on a decision straight away. And as time went by things kept working against Amsterdam. Hotel prices in the start of July were ridiculous. Even the hostel rooms were going for over $50AUD a night, for a shared room.

By the time a decision was required I had reflected upon having been to Amsterdam before, and was believing the hype of avoiding cities which are obviously hitting the maximum capacity for tourism. The start of Northern Hemisphere holidays meant it was getting flooded by those who know only the big name cities. Perhaps it was too many young tourist thinking it was the only city you can get high. Or the only place with trendy bars and frites. My internal decision process kicked in. No Chad you've been to Bruges twice, not again. Or well not yet. Ghent next door would have just been Bruges all over again. I needed to think further afield. So Antwerp it was. 

I had selected Antwerp as it was a direct train to the airport. My previous trip to Rotterdam had enlightened me of this option when departing Schipnol Airport. Antwerp also fit all the other criteria. Never visited before, historical, and contained Belgian beer, waffles, and frites. Sold.

The major idea found on line in planning for Antwerp was the De Koninck brewery. Importantly the location also included a Cheese Factory, and Chocolatier. Now I will say from having been there now the cheese and chocolate were somewhat oversold. They weren't as integrated into the tour as I had thought. They're merely concession stores around the whole venue. However the brewery tour itself is probably one of the best I've seen. For sheer entertainment all the multimedia displays with alternative delivery formats made this a self directed tour worth doing. There was indeed something for everyone. The marketing department and Antwerp tourism do deserve praise for this. I highly recommend if you are into brewery tours. And of course you get a sample tester tray of 3 beers at the end. I didn't care it was still before midday. I was here to drink beer. My first and last time trying a peppermint beer. I doubt the brewer will try that experiment again.

Going around Antwerp I couldn't help but think it was a greater tourism city in the making. I wasn't excessively busy with tour bus groups. It wasn't filled with annoying touts, or gypsies. And even the tourist attractions I had included weren't busy. There are though major construction projects around the city including for some underground conversion of trams which left some of the city centre deserted. To get around I made use of the city bicycle program. It was after all Belgium, the flat bicycle loving country it is.  

The historical buildings of Antwerp were surprisingly impressive. Being a capital city I knew it should be good. But websites seemed to understate how grand the buildings look. I only hope my view from behind the lens translates here. If anything I would have liked to have explored more of the social scene here. Perhaps a bar or two. But this was then end of my European adventure, my legs were tired, and I didn't want to see too many museums.

Having completed the trip I am slightly disappointed with myself. I didn't have a waffle in Belgium. After planning it all along I ran out of time, and found myself thinking about eating healthier. Yeah whilst travelling, go figure that out. I should learn to let it go, I know. Eat the frickin' waffle next time Chad.

Alas my mind had been direct conflicted. It had been too content with temporarily dropping a few kilos while away, instead of mugging my wallet for chocolate on a waffle to get the sugar high it craved. At least my departure of Europe via Amsterdam was not a first. Schipnol Airport experience provided me the wisdom to load up on Danish cheese as I left Europe. Not all opportunities were lost.