Ahoy There!

Getting to town was interesting today - the trams and buses were beyond full to accomodate the Antwerp marathon (25km or 10mi - and no, neither Dan nor I are fit enough to participate at this point). The experience was akin to riding the subway in Paris at rush hour only there were no subway staff to shove people in.

After a bit of wandering, we found our way to "PiratenEiland" for a day of play and terrible food. The kids loved it - an indoor playground that spans several rooms and three levels. Dominated by ball pits and slides, the pirate themed park lacked only in quality food.

The girls giggled, laughed, ran, jumped ...and no one told them to be quiet! Fun!

Price is 9,50 EURO on weekends (7 EURO on most weekdays) per child (adults are free). For food and beverages, you have to exchange cash for their tokens - which are non-refundable. Everything is a la carte and averages 1 token (2 EURO). The food is nowhere near great (think ballpark dog on a dry bun), but the price was worth it to see the kids having so much fun. Even Dan got into the spirit and rough housed with the girls in one of the ball pits and made sure Sophia went down the big slides (together, of course).

Ship wreck!

One of many ball pits.

Loch Ness slide.

Third floor gym theme.

Antwerp, Belgium

As usual, I'm behind on blog posts. =) Time seems to disappear and the connection has not been the greatest at our current spot- but is free (vs. 20 EURO a day through Proximus) so I can't complain.

We love Antwerp. Partly because it's a beautiful city, more because everywhere we go, we are greeted with enthusiasm and heartily welcomed. From the parking attendants to the transportation ticket office and even the gal at the post office. Everyone has welcomed us with huge smiles and offers of suggestions of where to eat and what to visit.

Our first tram ride was inspected at Central Station. The police swarm the outside of the platform and have waiting passengers line up in one of the entry hallways. Then they check (& mark) tickets of everyone getting off and presumably board the tram to check everyone else's tickets. It was kind of funny and overwhelming at the same time. Even the police were nice though - one overheard Dan and I trying to figure out the exit path and gave me a "yes ma'm, the exit is here." in English even. Public transit is really easy and affordable - it's 1,20 for 1-2 zones or 15 EURO for a 5-day pass.

Dan won't let me buy any diamonds (awww, poor me...) - but the store windows sure have been fun to look at. We got a laugh out of the advertisement that they will set any diamond in 15 minutes! (in other words, "quick - get them out of the store with their purchase before they can change their mind!") The girls and I visited the Diamond Museum which was featuring "Divas and Diamonds." Not sure the outing was worth the 12,50 EURO, but at least the kids were free and the jewellery in the "Divas" exhibit was exquisite. Sophia keeps asking if we can go back and look at all the pretty, sparkly stuff.

The shopping district is awesome here. Beautiful buildings and fantastic window displays. Either the fashion bug has finally caught up with me or my brain has registered that it's Spring. I want nothing more than to go buy a new wardrobe! Beautiful clothes and shoes flank the pedestrian street which itself is filled with magnificant buildings. My favorite "over the top" place is Antwerpen Feetzal - the interior is clad in gold leaf and the boutiques surrounding the central public area are fantastic. They certainly have the psychology of shopping down. Just the luxurious feeling in the building makes me want to shop (and historically, I hate shopping).

Antwerp Feestzall - view of the champagne lounge (elevated).

Antwerp Feestzall - center lounge.

Shopping district.

We spent a day at the Antwerp Zoo - a pretty expensive proposition (17,50 per adult + 12,50 per child over 3). They claim to have over 6,000 animals, but I think they counted an awful lot of the fish in that estimate and several exhibits were closed or under remodel. The grounds are fantastic and the seal exhibit was well done and we still enjoy the ability to see the animals much closer up than we've experienced in the States. However, many of the enclosures are awfully small and the animals (especially the tigers and lions) are bored and pacing. We did get to see the baby hippo! There were two adults and one baby - and they were bellowing to get out of the inside enclosure. Sophia couldn't stop giggling at the sounds!

Garden inside the Antwerp Zoo.

Megan & Sophia hamming it up.

Megan at the elephant exhibit - she's growing up on us!!

We took the elevator down 31 stories to the St. Anna Tunnel, a pedestrian tunnel built in 1933 that runs under the Schelde river. We had been told that the french fries at Frituur are the best in Antwerp - so we indulged. They are made from real potatoes and cooked as ordered. Very yummy - though they should be careful of flavor contamination from the other foods they fry in the oil. The kids loved the wide open space and playground. We enjoyed a fantastic view of Antwerp across the river. Very cool. Access back was an easy tram ride (under another tunnel) - we've now been in 3 of the 4 tunnels in the city. (1.5 vehicle tunnel, Tram tunnel, pedestrian tunnel, and Kennedy Tunnel - for all vehicles).

Inside the tunnel - don't do this if you are claustrophobic!

Frituur - supposedly the home of the best french fries in Antwerp.

We'll probably be here a few more days. The fridge at our house went out and I'd like to make sure the replacement arrives fine on Saturday. Now there's a fun experience ... shopping for a refrigerator online only with an unstable Internet connection. It was possibly the most frustrating thing of the week. It's amazing how many refrigerators are in the $2k+ range that get really poor feedback for functionality, noise level and durability. I finally settled on an Amana bottom freezer with french doors on top. Hope it's lovely. Huge kudos to Rebecca at Frederick's Appliances in Redmond for facilitating the purchase and delivery. Their delivery fee includes installation and removal of the old, unlike Sears... whose delivery fee includes only delivery and removal (no installation). Huge thanks to our friend Holly for dropping everything and calling them for me to get pricing and explain that her friend needed a sales clerk to help over email/IM.

Kudos for Cheap Motorhome Parking

Can't pass up an opportunity to spread the word about a company we just learned about, whose mission is to develop inexpensive motorhome (RV, camping car, etc.) parking near large cities in Belgium. Once the Belgium sites are opened, they plan to expand to other European countries.

Today, we were declined entrance at "De Molen," across the river from Antwerp. Apparently they can have only 6 motorhomes at a time on the premises. They provided pre-printed directions for the site we would be welcomed. Feeling a little out of sorts, we headed out.

Turns out, "Vogelzang" is an old campground that is being revamped for motorhomes only (no caravans, sorry). It's currently free and electricity is 2 EURO/night. You have to use the site's adaptors to connect. It's closer to Antwerp than De Molen and the guys running the business are super friendly - even making sure we knew how to find the public transit and providing a tourist map!

Here's the location information:

Site name: Vogelzang - small signpost at entrance for "camping" and "no caravans"
GPS Coordinates: 51.19033N 4.40227E
Street Address: Vogelzanglaan - take exit 5 off R1, follow toward Berchem/Wilrijk.
Utilities Available: water (currently on request due to repairs to the system); electricity (2 EURO / day); chemi toilet
Internet Connectivity: Via free public wi-fi signal from Crowne Plaza Hotel (Thank you!!) [yes, it's designated as a free hot spot in the description.]
Proximity to Public Transit: About 200m to bus and tram lines that take you in to the city
Managed by: Nocterra - http://www.nocterra.com/

Here's to a fun visit to Antwerp. Spring is in the air - it was clear and even a little warm today!

Ciao!