What do you do with a London-based Aussie who arrives here in Antwerp, laden down by bottles of New Zealand red wine?
Invite her to stay, but of course.
So it was that Clare, an old Istanbul friend, landed in Belgium Friday night. So we've test-driven the Kiwi reds and found them more than adequate ... (it has been SO LONG since I enjoyed good New Zealand wine).
We spent Saturday wandering in Antwerpen ... and I realised again how much I love the way that each guest gives a new view of this city I live in. The photos will prove it. We photographed cockroaches as big as my hand and all kinds of other fascinating subjects .. via graffitti.
We ate waffles and explored the so-called
Foreigners Market ... due to the fact that most stall owners are of foreign origin. We sampled the multitude of free olives and feta cheeses at the Moroccan stall and then sampled some more when we arrived at the French-speaking cheese guy's stall, buying a strong-tasting Brie that went so well with the wine this evening.
And Clare was lucky enough to experience that
very special customer service I've only experienced in Belgium so far ... the
3 seconds to make yourself and your order clear or the salesperson moves on to the customer behind you. ;)
A bow to tradition saw us resting in my favourite pub, Elfde Gebod - The Eleventh Commandment, evoking a spiritual moment by combining the drinking of alcohol in a place religiously named.
Tomorrow we're off to Brugge ... let's see how it goes.
What do you do with a London-based Aussie who arrives here in Antwerp, laden down by bottles of New Zealand red wine?
Invite her to stay, but of course.
So it was that Clare, an old Istanbul friend, landed in Belgium Friday night. So we've test-driven the Kiwi reds and found them more than adequate ... (it has been SO LONG since I enjoyed good New Zealand wine).
We spent Saturday wandering in Antwerpen ... and I realised again how much I love the way that each guest gives a new view of this city I live in. The photos will prove it. We photographed cockroaches as big as my hand and all kinds of other fascinating subjects .. via graffitti.
We ate waffles and explored the so-called Foreigners Market ... due to the fact that most stall owners are of foreign origin. We sampled the multitude of free olives and feta cheeses at the Moroccan stall and then sampled some more when we arrived at the French-speaking cheese guy's stall, buying a strong-tasting Brie that went so well with the wine this evening.
And Clare was lucky enough to experience that very special customer service I've only experienced in Belgium so far ... the 3 seconds to make yourself and your order clear or the salesperson moves on to the customer behind you. ;)
A bow to tradition saw us resting in my favourite pub, Elfde Gebod - The Eleventh Commandment, evoking a spiritual moment by combining the drinking of alcohol in a place religiously named.
Tomorrow we're off to Brugge ... let's see how it goes.