Antwerp - Part 2

Our train arrived in the late evening hours at the central railway station, one of the most beautiful stations I've seen so far.

Just like before, we walked to our accommodation, which this time was in an early 20th-century building with a vintage elevator that Philip found fascinating.

A warm shower and a bit of a rest later we were back in the cold night, exploring the streets nearby.

The cities always look different during night and day, sleepy or vibrant, empty or busy, and we wanted to see both sides.

Night time came and went and the following morning welcomed us with real winter temperature, falling below zero. Nothing could stop us though from out routine, we packed up our bags and headed to the city centre for a quick breakfast.

The main square and the Brabo statue was our next step. The Grote Markt of Antwerp is a town square situated in the heart of the old city quarter. It is filled with an extravagant city hall, numerous elaborate 16th century guildhalls, and many restaurants and cafés.

In front of the City hall stands the statue of Brabo. According to the legend he once killed a giant who asked money from people who wanted to pass the bridge over the river Scheldt. If they couldn't pay, he cut off their hands and threw them in the river.

Risking our hands to be chopped off, we walked down to the river to see the infamous giant.

You can clearly see the Het Steen castle behind us!

I remember moaning about the cold whilst walking on the promenade behind the castle, when a couple approached us and asked where they can find the St. Anna tunnel. At first, it didn't sound like an interesting place, but when they explained it is actually an underwater tunnel that connects the two sides of the city, we decided it will be worth tagging along to see if we can find it. It was worthy all right!

A fantastic wooden escalator, that was made in the 1930s took us beneath the surface, deep down into the 570 meters long tunnel. From shore to shore the wall was covered with ceramic tiles and informative pictures. I truly admired the style and the retro vibes.

This kind of wooden escalators, especially so well preserved, must be very rare nowadays, it's an absolute gem.

We had many locals passing by on bicycles and taking the lift instead of the escalators, as part of their daily routine.

Not so long after we reached the end of tunnel and the older side of the city with a great view of the newer one. Philip found his type of fun too while I was walking around a bit.