“Antwerpen is stad en de rest is parking.” A popular phrase saying “Antwerp is city and the rest is parking area” originated in the 1970s or 1980s when Antwerp experienced some cityscape changing urban development. But what if Antwerp actually did run the that parking lot? In 1830, a French plan invented the Free State…
Month: July 2023
ICELAND | Þingvellir or Thingvellir National Park – Hvalfjörður Fjord – Húsafell
Iceland in November and December? Really? I saw an Icelandair promotion on Instagram which I couldn’t resist. The catch? It had to be late November to the start of December 2022. But I could – easily – enthuse Oriol to come along for a road trip in the South and West of Iceland.
SNCF and NMBS / SNCB to link Paris to Brussels with ‘slow’ classic train in about 3 hours from December 2024
France‘s national train operator SNCF Voyageurs has submitted an application to the French transport authority to start driving between Brussels and Paris with Belgian rolling stock from December 2024, Treinreiziger.nl reports.
Impressions of Manchester
Inspired by the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, we travelled by train to England in March. Combining ESC host city Liverpool with the industrial heritage of Manchester. Manchester to Liverpool was also the first steam railway line ever. A perfect pretext to travel to The North.
Antwerp Pride 2023 theme, programme and schedule highlights
The sixteenth edition of Antwerp Pride will take place this year from Wednesday 9 to Sunday 13 August. More than ever, Antwerp Pride focuses on content, but the usual festive ingredients are also present. Antwerp Pride is also proud to have booked Belgium‘s Eurovision representative Gustaph to perform at the Closing Festival on Sunday 13…
EMILIA-ROMAGNA | Sights and churches in Bologna
October 2022. As we wanted to test Trenitalia‘s Frecciarossa 1000 service from Paris to Milan, we planned a rail trip around it. From Antwerp to Paris with Thalys, the ‘Red Arrow’ to Milan and once in Italy continuing to Trieste and Bologna. The return trip took us to Basel in Switzerland to enjoy SBB‘s panoramic…
One year of reopened Antwerp City Hall
Antwerp City Hall reopened its doors to the general public on June 18, 2022, after a thorough and successful restoration and renovation. Since its opening, the renovated city hall has received around 65,000 visitors from all over the world. It is an open house for all Antwerp residents, as evidenced by the multitude of diverse…
BEYOND ANTWERP PRIDE | Discussing, educating, empowering and protesting for recognition of LGBTQIA+ people
It’s summer so it’s time for Antwerp Pride and Antwerp Queer Arts Festival (AQAF). From 4 to 27 August 2023, AQAF hosts queer artists being queer, in the alternative, quirky, more rebellious sense of the word. Antwerp Pride, from 9 to 13 August, is more mainstream, openly catering to everyone and thus attracting a general,…
REVIEW | Guesthouse Flúðir
Iceland in November and December? Really? I saw an Icelandair promotion on Instagram which I couldn’t resist. The catch? It had to be late November to the start of December 2022. But I could – easily – enthuse Oriol to come along for a road trip in the South and West of Iceland.
Queer Arts Festival Leuven with pride parade from 3 to 25 November 2023
From the 3rd until the 25th of November 2023, Queer Leuven and municipal cultural centre 30CC collaborate to organise the first Queer Arts Festival Leuven, in university city Leuven. For three weeks you will be able to enjoy queer art with a wide array of cultural events.