Antwerpen, Belgium

As I've mentioned before, we live in a lively but residential area. It is considered to be the center of the Jewish community in Antwerp, so many of our neighbours are orthodox or Chassidic Jews. Behind our apartment building is the recently opened PAKT-site, offering a space to many trendy restaurants, bars, designers and offices, attracting young and entrepreneurial people. Next to it is the beautiful Groen Kwartier (Green Quarters), a 19th century military hospital turned public, hosting luxury housing in the old barracks, a two star restaurant (The Jane), some shops and a beautiful garden and playground. This mix of cultures makes our neighbourhood a perfect starting point to get a feel for the city.

Antwerp is what I would call a 'soft city': relatively small with about 500.000 inhabitants, quite clean and cosy, with plenty of services for tourists and visitors alike, many good bars and restaurants, a big shopping-culture, many cultural activities and historical buildings, all densely packed close to each other. It's easy to get an overview of the city in just a few days, unlike huge metropolitan areas like London or Paris, which is nice if you're just a short time visitor.

Nevertheless, it's easy to get around to neighbouring cities of you want to expand your horizons: Ghent (40 mins), Brussels (35 mins), Bruges (1h30), Liège (2h). There are direct international trains from Antwerp to Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Paris and London. It feels like living in the heart of Europe.

In it's essence Antwerp is still a harbour-city, attracting people from all around the world, young and old, rich and poor. Even though the actual harbour has long moved away from the center, it is still very present in the city's culture (and I would advise you to go visit the modern port). Antwerp's assumed cosmopolitanism can sometimes be laughable compared to contemporary mega-cities, it is however a very agreeable place to come into contact with other cultures and ethnicities in a very easy-going way.