The train rushed along the track into the sunset as we slid towards Antwerp. When I first staked out this leg of my Euro journey, it amazed me how close by the cities of Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Paris lay to each other–just a couple of hours by train. Too much fuss to get on an airplane for it, unless I could fly myself.
We checked into a nondescript “design” hotel and sat in the lobby bar to people watch. A quick look at the menu? Completely unnecessary. Though not a perfect place for my first Belgian beer in Belgium (I pictured a cozy tavern surrounded by happy, tippling monks), it would have to suffice. I took my brew with a shot glass of mixed nuts, but it needed no accompaniment. Belgian ale comes strangely complete in that way, its profile well rounded enough to make a meal. No need to balance out the bitter or fill in gaps of flavor. It’s all there in a compact rainbow.
We struck off for downtown for a bite, and stumbled upon the straightforward direction for which the Belgians are known: Fish & Eat. The mural on the wall showed the colors of the sea, and the atmosphere grew more lively as we sat down. The pile of seafood that arrived shortly thereafter made it clear: a meal complete by the bounty before us.
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- Sunset across the flats from the train to Antwerp
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- My first Belgian ale in Belgium
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- A bounty of fishy bits at Fish & Eat, Antwerp
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- A marine-driven mural at Fish & Eat, Antwerp