Brussels

Antwerp

Ghent

Bruges

ANTWERP-Introducing walk-Keyserlei-Leystraat-Meir

Antwerp Zoological garden

Antwerp by foot, its insolent and secret treasures

Introducing the walk
Keyserlei- Leystraat
Meir

Meir shopping, slowly loitering to Rubens house

Rubens, his life and his house

Bird market-Bourla theatre - more shopping

Shopping streets to Groenplaats

Area around Antwerp Cathedral   

Cathedral of Our-Lady

Grote Markt and Town hall

Guild houses-Vlaaykensgang 

Hoogstraat and Grote Pieter Potstraat

Printers museum Plantin-Moretus

Museum Mayer van den Bergh-Maagdenhuis

Strolling to the Carolus Borromeus church

Rockoxhuis- Rubens tomb at St.Jacobskerk

Cogels-Osylei area, unique in the world (1)

Cogels Osy area, unique in the world (2)

If there is a city in the world that grants you its intimacy without giving you away its secrets, a spot that offers himself without losing its mystery, a labyrinth that is its proper guide: it is….Antwerp. Unique in its contrasts, proud of its past glory, Antwerp is before all a metropolis dedicated to cosmopolitanism. Experience it instead of talking about, you can do it in a thousand different ways. You must feel the intelligence, harmony, taste also the contrasts, the ambiguities. Rubens, the genius of baroque art of northern Europe, is the most accomplished man of the Flemish art history. Antwerp set him at a pinnacle. All the time. It is impossible to discuss with a “sinjoor” (from the Spanish “senor”), Antwerp people are denominated, without hearing him evoke before half an hour, about the great moments of Antwerp painting. A city propitious to all ramblings, that leaves everybody free of any movement, to follow his inspiration wherever it leads him: Antwerp is an enchantment. Still today, the city radiates the prestige of its tradesmen, culture and elites. Winter or summer, Antwerp proposes different alluring itineraries for the cultural pedestrian.

Central Station

Let’s start under the great glass-cases of the main hall of Central Station, recently refurbished but again in full dirt and transformation to house a brand new TGV station in 2003. Forgive the actual inconvenience but it is a price to pay for progress: Paris will be 1h40 min from Antwerp!! When you leave the station at the Keyserlei exit, you will be struck by the animation going on in the area. The Keyserlei is the horn of plenty for the locals, attracting the “Tout-Anvers” in its hotels, restaurants, cafes, shops and boutiques. Look at the clean façade of the station, on your right hand side when you get out: a man’s hand, “printed” in the stone when the refurbishing began, reminds us the color of the façade before the great cleaning of the “rail cathedral”….what a difference!!           
Raise your head; just in front of you, far away, your will see the spire of the cathedral. A preview taste of the city’s heart. And you’ll have to know that 100 years ago, the Antwerp diamond manufacturers moved from the Grote Markt and Groenplaats to establish themselves near Central Station in the Pelikaanstraat, Hoveniersraat, Rijfstraat. But that is the subject of a different article. look in the main page. 
The axis Central Station-Groenplaats represents the framework of the city: as I said already, you’ll find hotels particuliers and large shopping malls, commercial centers and cafes, shops and movie theatres, restaurants and fast-food chains. It must be said that lately the trendy and small curiosity shops as well as antique shops have moved to the Schuttershofstraat, parallel to the Meir, and that the movies are all concentrated in a multiplex movie theater with 26 theatres administrated by the film distributor Gaumont. The “Meirplaats” called “Meir” today, is the main commercial artery of the Metropolis, a prestigious pedestrian avenue where processions, manifestations and fanfares defile regularly….

But let the real walk start now. 
The Keyserlei, large artery, bordered with tile trees, is an avenue to see and be seen, the chances to meet a friend or a parent are high. The fans of movies can have a good film at the multi movie complex of the Gaumont theatres and the unconditionals of the "bolleke Koninck beer", this typical Antwerp artisan beer with its amber color and the maliciously attractive white robe, drink it at one of the numerous terraces , especially in summer. The crowds advance, retreat and paw on its sea blue pavements. Multi faced quarter? Sure! This is cosmopolite Antwerp in its original state! And it's only after midnight that you feel the beat of the "Statiekwartier" (station area).  

Opera house

After the Keyserlei, cross the Frankrijklei, have a look at the Opera house on the Italielei,stop in the Leysstraat and turn around to have a last look at Central Station. At the corner of the Frankrijklei and Keyserlei you will see an ugly tower” Anwerp Tower” pure product of the 60’s when architecture was at his lowest level, not only in Antwerp but everywhere in the world. What a difference with the turreted houses of the Leysstraat, best example of Antwerp eclectism!! Look at Leysstraat no.7 and notice seven heads of city consellors sculpted in the façade. Look at all the other splendid facades, mainly on the right side (coming from Central Station). Shops paying a very high rent occupy all the ground levels. It’s the chicken with the golden eggs of the city of Antwerp (who by the way, needs it!). The axis Leysstraat-Meir is, after the rue Neuve in Brussels, the most frequented and prestigious commercial artery of Belgium. Even if the last years the great Dutch chains take over most of the surfaces (C&A, Creymborg , etc) Unfortunately, quality is not the main concern of these chains. You have to be selective. For quality and conviviality, I pointed already to the parallel Schuttershofstraat and neighbouring streets.

Let’s continue our route along the Meir, but that will be for next article.There is so much to see!