Antwerp

From Normandy, it was off to Belgium to spend time with Marisa's first cousin, once removed, Robert. Robert is a resident of Antwerp, the town where Marisa's grandparents grew up. He gave us the true insider's tour. We walked the beautiful coblestone streets, relaxed at the cafes, dined in classy restaurants, and visited fascinating museums. At the end of our stay, we were convinced that Antwerp is a top-notch city.

Antwerp is home to some beautiful architecure and a long history. We got in touch with both. Below is a great representative photo. In the foreground is the statue commemorating the legend of Antwerp's naming. From Frommers:

Legend has it that a giant called Druon Antigon levied exorbitant tolls on every Scheldt boatman who passed his castle, and if anyone would not or could not pay up, the big man gleefully cut off the miscreant's hand and threw it into the river. Druon's comeuppance came from a Roman centurion named Silvius Brabo, who slew the giant and (as if that weren't enough) cut off his hand and threw it into the river, thus avenging the boatmen. The Flemish handwerpen (throwing of the hand) eventually became Antwerpen, the city's Flemish name (it's called Anvers in French).

In the background you can see some buildings that provide a pretty good idea of what the older parts of Antwerp look like.

Antwerp has a long history and a number of museums that do a great job of capturing it. Of special interest was the Plantin-Moretus Museum, home of one of the earliest printing presses in Europe. They had a fantastic collection of some of the oldest books ever printed. Below is Marisa posing in front of one of the many presses they had on display.

Robert also took us to a museum in the home of Peter Paul Reubens. It holds a good collection of his works and gave us an idea of what it was like to live as a wealthy 17th century European. Below we have Marisa and Robert in Reubens' courtyard garden. It was lovely to say the least.