Brussels is grand, but in a contest I'd pick Antwerp in a heartbeat.
Antwerp feels full of life and interest and so very gezellig.
It's a design and fashion mecca (think Martin Margiela, Dries van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester ...)
There's art and culture, old and new
The Rubenshuis above and below, where Rubens lived and painted for most of his life
Even the Hare Krishnas were there on a Saturday morning, bringing vivid reds to the Groenplaats.
Like every other Belgian city there's a crazily high density of (good) restaurants
... and if it isn't a restaurateur it's a chocolatier: masters of the dark art Marcolini, Wittamer, Neuhaus lead the way in chocolate perfection and in vying with one another with sculpted creations.
Just ahead of the football world cup, the chocolatiers were indulging in soccer themes - my favourite a white chocolate rendition of Rio's Christ the redeemer ...
Work in progress at The Chocolate Line, Paleis op de Meir,
Antwerp, July 2014
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