http://www.spottedbylocals.com/antwerp Antwerp Spotted by Locals Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:50:13 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en If you are tired of the classic tourist bus, I can recommend a safari trip with tram 12. There are eleven trams in Antwerp and most of them are nothing special, but this one shows you a lot of aspects of this town. Tram 12 has its terminus at the famous Antwerp courthouse (check the Courthouse article) and [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/antwerp/tram-12 There’s a small and very strange shop in the Aalmoezenierstraat. At first I didn’t know what to think about it. When it just opened the shop was almost empty. There were only a couple of small, intriguing things. I stood there sometimes, after closing time, looking in the window and fascinated by the little things [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/antwerp/mieke-willems 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 [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/antwerp/bartilia Atelier Assemblé is a small shop/atelier that designs retro clothing for kids and women. The people of Atelier Assemblé have an appealing taste for the beauty of former days. They started in 2005 with only clothing for kids. These clothes are exceptional because of the old fabrics and old accessories. The fabrics are purchased from the [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/antwerp/atelier-assemble In Antwerp we have a controversial building at the outskirts of town: The Law Courts. We call it also the ‘Vlinderpaleis’ (Butterfly palace) because it has strange ‘wings’ on the roof. A sweet name for such a building. It was designed by the famous architect Richard Rogers. When it was finished in 2006 everybody spoke of the [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/antwerp/court-house-of-antwerp There once was a super fun bar in Antwerp: ‘the king kong’, we sat there drinking and laughing every weekend … and then the fun was over. King Kong closed. But now ‘the king kong’ is back, but as a shop! It’s a great, cosy place with clothes, furniture and music. Most clothes are for men, but [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/antwerp/magasin-moustache This place is new in the neighbourhood where I live. You can have breakfast, lunch and the tastiest coffees, teas and juices here. They serve fresh sandwiches, soups, burgers, …. every week a new sandwich, latte and cappuccino special. I went there for breakfast, which was great and I’m definitely going back for some more! Details about this spot (Show on [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/antwerp/de-cafetaria When I’m looking for a descent yet quick meal, I go to Lunch Cafe Walrus. It has an very good kitchen with honest prices. The service is mostly with a smile and you just get what you want here: something to satisfy your hunger! Wether for a breakfast  – brunch – lunch or dinner … they got [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/antwerp/walrus Cheap flights CityJet, formerly known as VLM Airlines, is a Belgian airline based at Antwerp International Airport. It was founded in 1992 and started operations in 1993. The airline is highly recommended and so here are just a few reasons to travel with CityJet. You can enjoy checking in your luggage without paying for it. Likewise, there [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/antwerp/cityjet-vlm-airlines On a lazy Sunday I love to walk through the Kloosterstraat. It’s my favorite ‘window shop street’. Most of the shops sell antiques: furniture, books, nice African antiques, etc. Some sell bathroom antiques, others sell Christmas decoration or fifties-objects. The fun is that there is this great amusing diversity and incredible curiosa. The Kloosterstraat is like [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/antwerp/kloosterstraat