Belgium

So we made a weekend trip out of Belgium and hit up both Antwerp and Brussels. Antwerp was an absolutely beautiful city and we went to the Cathedral of Antwerp and it was absolutely stunning. The Cathedral towered over the other buildings around it, and the age of the structure and magnificence of its height and intricate design astounded me. I just can not believe they put so much money and time into their Churches back then, I guess it was also a symbol of power for the community that they were able to build such a facility, but dang it is beautiful. The inside also had many wonderful paintings by Paul Rubens, much stained glass, and more beautiful architecture. Once again, my words don’t do enough, and these pictures will not do justice either, but have a look.

One of the coolest parts of the church I thought was the floor, for on it were engravings that were very worn out in some places. At first I overlooked them because I figured they were Biblical sayings of some sort in Dutch or some other language, but when I looked closer I saw something I immediately recognized R.I.P. Every square was a tombstone! And beneath the church was an old crypt in which many people were buried, and we were able to descend some stairs and view some areas which had been excavated. It was amazing.
Oh yea, and the waffles were spectacular, I believe that it is worth the trip to Belgium merely for the waffles and to tell you the truth, I never really had to pay for meals because I was kept pretty full by the many sidewalk vendors.
Brussels also has a tremendous Grand-Place which is said to be one of the most well preserved plaza’s in Europe. As the day progressed the snow began to fall and it honestly felt like the plaza was a movie set.

And of coarse we had to go see the Mannequin Pis, and wow is that thing overrated. Honestly, the little statues they have in shops are bigger than that thing is. It is shrimpy! Yet, I will not lie, I enjoyed seeing it, and took the typical touristy pictures of it. I just wonder how the heck this thing became such a tourist attraction.

Next we went to the hall of justice in Brussels which is a ginormous building with wonderful architecture once again. I think it used to be a palace or something once but I am not 100% sure. It was beautiful none the less. Honestly, it is great just walking around these cities. I also went to the national art museum of Belgium on Sunday and the art was fantastic. Most of their modern art was closed off though due to renovation but the ancient art was still there and beautiful. It is crazy how much art was originally an interpretation of a Biblical narrative. Anyway, that is what I saw. It was amazing, and I get more next weekend. I can’t lie, my life is rocking my face off right now.