Igor Daems (1976)

Antwerp’s Damplein used to be a very grey and desolate square next to the railway where you would only go if you wanted to buy a cheap table or chairs at Belgica Furniture. But the coming of Park Spoor Noord changed things. Coffee bar Zum and restaurant Caravan were the first to see the potential of this square next to Park Spoor Noord. Bar Zeppelin is the latest newcomer.

Like Bar Leon (Check the Bar Leon article) in Borgerhout they serve an interesting mix of excellent beers, cocktails and great coffees. That makes it an ideal stop no matter the time or occasion: there is always a great drink to be discovered. Also great and quite unique for Belgium: they serve you free tap water. There is plenty of reading material and free wifi so don’t worry you won’t be bored. And when the sun shines, you can take your drink, magazine, laptop, … outside. I’m already curious what the next thing will be on this rapidly changing square …

If you want to bring something home from Antwerp and you don’t want to go the obvious souvenir shops in the historic centre, try 100 gr design in the Central Station area. It is located in design centre “De Winkelhaak”, a building with a very striking architecture. Next to this store several creative companies have their office in this iconic building.

100 gr Design sells design objects, straight from individual designers and some bigger companies. They also have a collection of gift boxes, like the First Aid Kit which you can give to someone who is sick. Or the Old Box, an ideal gift for your grandparents. And if you’re looking for a different postcard than the same old cards you find everywhere, this is the place.

The collection changes all the time so I’m surprised every time I visit. In the past I bought (amongst others) a wishing candle (you write a wish on it, you wrap it up and you light it), a funny magnetic key holder (which you can hang on your fridge) and a design umbrella. And the good news is: it’s all very affordable.

Want to be thrown back in time? Then walk through the Vlaeykensgang, a tiny alley in the middle of the historic centre. The entrance is no wider than an average door so be sure not to walk past by it.

Install yourself on a bench here and let your imagination do the rest. This is what Antwerp used to look like in the time of Rubens and Van Dyck. Those days, in the middle ages, there were many more of these alleys. But almost all of them were destroyed over time. Except for this one: Vlaeykensgang is now completely restored.

Very strange: you’re in the heart of the city and still you hear nothing but complete silence here. That’s why this is an ideal place for listening to the carillons of the Cathedral. If I want to surprise my foreign guests, I take them here. They are all amazed, every time.

When I was a little boy, my mother took me to the city and I remember standing at the Cathedral which, at the time, was completely covered in scaffolding. In 8 years time the whole church will be renovated, my mother said. That seemed like an unbelievable long period of time and work. And then, finally, in 1993 the work was done and the church was there again, towering majestically over Antwerp.

It’s THE symbol of our city and an absolute must-see. You can go to the left bank (through the pedestrian tunnel) and admire the tower in the skyline and/or you can go inside. My favorite part of the interior are the two Rubens paintings which you can not miss: “The Descent from the Cross” and “The Elevation of the Cross”. These altarpieces still hang in their original location. I just can’t get enough of them.

I’m not really religious but I try to visit a church wherever I go. So if you are in Antwerp, pay the € 5 entrance fee and have a seat. Use your eyes to admire the wonderful interior. Use your ears to enjoy the divine silence. And burn a candle for the people you love. It will do you good.

I like independent bookstores. They almost all have to struggle hard to compete with the large chain stores so I think we should all support them.

‘t Stad Leest (the city reads) is a new independent bookstore in the centre of Antwerp and I loved it from the first step I took inside. It’s housed in a historic building, you first walk through a big entrance hall and then you arrive in large space, more clean, white and modern than you would expect from the outside.

No bookcases here, just large white tables with the books on top. I like the fact that you immediately see the cover of each book, you don’t have to bend your head in strange ways to read the title like in other stores. The range of books they sell here is great: contemporary books next to a selection of the classics.

There’s also a good quantity of English novels and a separate department of children books. For me this bookstore is a winner. The atmosphere is great, because it’s so spacious you never feel it’s too busy and they play nice music. My only problem is finding time to read all the books I buy …