Day: May 4, 2026

Above: mock sweet orange (left) and greater celandine in Stadspark Above: new growth on yew (left) and spiny snow thistle

We started off on our first trek of the day by exploring the Cogels-Osylei neighborhood. It was a couple miles to the south of where we’re staying. We passed through a park and admired the sweet mock orange blossoms. Went under a decorated overpass. Skirted a lot of construction and ended up on Cogels-Osylei. The…

If nothing else, go for the wooden escalators and killer bikes. That would be Sint-Annatunnel, a pedestrian and bike tunnel, constructed 1931-1933, running under the Scheldt river and connecting Antwerp city center with the Left Bank. From the nondescript entrance, you take two long escalator flights down – both bikes and pedestrians The tunnel is…

Yesterday (Sunday), we visited the M HKA (Museum for Contemporary Art) in Antwerp. If you’ve read our blogs over the years, you know we try to take in some contemporary art wherever we go. There is often a lot we can learn about culture from these exhibitions, although sometimes they are…er…not so intriguing. The M…

During Antwerp’s Golden Age in the 16th century the Scheldt River running through the city was one of the largest ports in the world. Along a street by the docks an inscription on an old, nondescript warehouse dating from the bicycle boom of the late 19th century leapt out at me.  The bicycle boom was…

Yesterday, to take a break from walking in the rain, we stopped at the Museum of Contemporary Art (M HKA). On the first floor there were some interesting notions, like the curved half-door. Or the devil dog impaled on a branch. But the main exhibit was on the second floor featuring recent Palestinian art. Victimization…