A couple of years ago the neighborhood around the falconplein was a different world. It was a square with dubious shops ran by the Russian mafia and Georgian gangsters. They say it was possible to buy grenades under the table, and the smuggling in fake products and girls from the east were big business then. The falconplein was/is also at the edge of the red light district.

When the city decided to ‘clean up’ the square in 2007 this was very successful. Not so adventurous anymore but today it is a more pleasant square where crime isn’t longer the most important thing.

On the first and the third Sunday of every month there is a market for biological products. And on the square you can find the nice café Bartilia. It is called Bartilia because of the former trees that stood on the square. They were all limetrees (‘Tilia’). When they redesigned the square all the lime trees had to go.

The owners of Bartilia wanted to make a statement and they named the cafe after the trees. Bartilia is a cosy cafe for young and old, but especially for the young. In weekends it can be busy but it is always nice to be there. It is allowed to smoke in there. The atmosphere is good.

On Sunday it is nice to combine the market with a coffee in Café Bartilia. But be careful, sometimes the café opens a little bit later than planned…

A couple of years ago, when I lived in the north of the city – which is a relatively poor part of the city – there was one specific object that stole my heart. It was Pepto Bismo…

This extraordinary nice ‘Panamarenko’ lands on the corner of the Sint-Jansplein, which is the biggest square in Antwerp. Pepto Bismo is a statue of the strange Belgian artist Panamarenko, who’s called a great visionary. He was born in 1940 as Henri Van Herreweghe and choose his artistname from a combination of the Pan American Airlines and the Russian ending -enko.

Panamarenko is world famous for his scalemodels and drawings of bizarre spaceships, aircrafts and submarines. He donated Pepto Bismo in 2003 to the city and Pepto was placed in this poor neighbourhood where Panamarenko lived almost all his live.

A lot of people were surprised that a such a nice statue was placed in this ‘ghetto-area’ of Antwerp. And it was also placed on a low socle. Everybody thought that Pepto would be molested very soon.

But today he is still there. Shiny and unharmed. Pepto Bismo is a wonderful statue. He makes me happy. In the time I lived there, I had to pass Pepto Bismo every time when I went to the shops. I looked up to him many times. For me he represents believe and hope.

And what do you think… Is he taking off or landing?

Antwerp has a lot of city beaches these days. Most of the time these are places where you have to dress up and/or pay an entrance fee or they won’t let you in. If that’s not your cup of tea (it’s not mine!) here’s a good alternative for your summer afternoon and evening.

First of all, pass by a supermarket and buy some drinks/food that you like. Then bike or walk to the Kattendijksluis (just follow the river north and after passing a lock make a left) and install yourself on the quayside.

From here you have a beautiful view on the skyline of the city and on to the other side there is the skyline of the port. Especially at sunset, this is a magical place. Slowly but surely, as the sun goes down, the port changes into a giant futuristic city from outer space. I regularly jog in this area and every time I’m impressed by the natural beauty, so close to the city.

Sometimes the peace and quiet of Kattendijksluis is disturbed by a group of tango-dancing people. If you feel like it, join them. If not, just admire the view. The choice is yours.

On the Sint-Paulusplaats, halfway between the old city and het Eilandje, in the middle of Antwerp’s red light district, there is a cute little vintage shop called Second Life. Not the 3D virtual world, obviously, but a fantastic second-hand design store. Every time I come here, I’m amazed by the cool objects they sell here: from your grandmother’s cups, plates and cutlery to ashtrays, televisions and mirrors dating back to the fifties, sixties and seventies.

Second Life also has a elaborate collection of wallpaper from the seventies, if you want to give your walls a retro look. I wonder how they come up with all this stuff? A nice selection of second-hand vinyl records tops it off.

Don’t forget to go downstairs to check out the clothes. It’s an impressive collection, for women and for men. Seventies underwear, swimming pants, shirts, suits … it’s all there. On my last visit I got a blue undershirt and a retro polo shirt. Me and my female companion, who found herself a summer dress, were very impressed. Not only because of the beautiful collection but also because of the affordable prices!

After having been the barwoman in café De Welkom, Femke decided to do something completely different. A few steps away from Park Spoor Noord (see the article) she opened a new place and she called it ZUM. In a fastly changing neighbourhood, ZUM for me is the ideal place for breakfast or lunch. I like the personal details here: the little chocolate balls you can add to your cappuccino, the cool postcards on the wall, the homemade muffins and pies, the smiling faces of the people serving you …

If I need a place to spend a lazy afternoon (like the day after a wild party), I come here and order the antiox Arizona iced tea and a blueberry muffin. If I’m not meeting friends, I bring a book and install myself for a good read. ZUM has free wifi so sometimes I even get some work done.

If you’re hungry try the “bokes”. Slices of freshly baked bread with all kinds of toppings, the yummie Belgian way to eat bread. Be careful, if you don’t keep an eye to the beautiful clock hanging on the wall, you might end up spending the whole afternoon here.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
ZUM | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Breakfast&Lunch) | Main meal from € 10
Viaduct Dam 1 | Eilandje | +323450336
Tue – Sun 09:00 – 20:00

Antwerp has the second largest port of Europe and that’s one of the reasons why there are more than 140 nationalities living in the city. That’s more than in New York, believe it or not. In Antwerp North, the Portuguese community is quite important. There are many bars and restaurants on and around Sint-Jansplein and they become very visible on the square when Portugal is playing an important soccer match.

If you like Portuguese food, this is my tip: Estrela Do Mar. Don’t judge this place on the looks from the outside. I guess that 99% of all people just pass by without knowing what a gem this place is. Go inside and ask for a table. You will be led to the back, to a very simple interior, almost cantine-style. The menu is very limited which I believe is a good sign. The gambas (prawns) and the bacalhau (cod) are both extremely tasteful. Have the white wine of the house and you’re all set for a perfect meal.

That’s not all: if you want to try something very different, move back to the front after dinner and have a Portuguese beer while you wait for the karaoke to begin. Yes, if you’re lucky the owner will grab the microphone and sing some beautiful Portuguese songs. Don’t be shy and sing along. This is so much better than the karaoke bars you can find in the tourist part of town.

You’ll need transport to get there but if you have a car and if it’s a sunny day and you like boats, then why not drive to Lillo? It’s a magical little village in the middle of the Port of Antwerp, the second largest of Europe.

Historically Lillo had a strategic location and was a fort for many years. It’s not difficult to see why: standing on the waterfront you have a beautiful view on the river Scheldt. Here I always daydream about arriving in Antwerp by boat myself one day.

It’s one of the best places to see the massive container ships coming into Antwerp. And by massive I mean ships with a length of 400 metres that can carry over 15.000 containers! What I like to here is to make a walk along the waterfront and through the cosy village with narrow streets and beautiful houses. After that I head into one of the bars to have a snack or a coffee. You’ll meet other visitors here but also locals and harbour workers. A nice mixture of people!