November and December 2017. During my solo trip to Taiwan – the vacation which was a catalyst to start Trip By Trip – I met Ugo. Fast forward to August 2025. Ugo is touring Europe and we decided to meet up. Showing him Antwerp was an option, but fitting the metropolis into his itinerary was…
Tag: Architecture
LATVIA | Jugendstil in Riga ft Riga Art Nouveau Centre and Janis Rozentāls and Rūdolfs Blaumanis Museum
August 2025. We’re travelling to the Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and more specifically their respective capitals Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. Are they interconnected by rail? Yes, but not in the most straightforward or userfriendly way possible. The Rail Baltica project should remedy this. Unsurprisingly though, this megaproject faces political and budgetary hurdles. It…
ANTWERP | Redevelopment of the Stuivenberg site takes further shape
The Council of Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Antwerp has reviewed an extensive feasibility study concerning the Stuivenberg site in Antwerp-North. The ambition is to create a mixed-use project with extensive shared space and strong interaction between different users and the surrounding neighbourhood.
TOKYO | Omotesandō in Shibuya – AEON Shinonome – Uniqlo – Muji
Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and…
FINLAND | Enjoying the white nights of Helsinki
In the summer of 2025 I went to Helsinki in Finland when Midsummer was celebrated. On this longest day of the year Finnish people head into nature and celebrate what it means to be a Finn. I decided to stay in the capital for one and a half week to get a real first impression…
The Tri-Country Train a role model for the Basque Country?
In March 2025, Basque Minister of Sustainable Mobility Susana García Chueca (PSE Euskadi) recently embarked on a two-day trip to Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium as part of a European cooperation project focused on cross-border rail connectivity. The Minister and others were hosted by the Aachener Verkehrsverbund (AVV) or Aachen Transport Association.
Osaka wins, Brussels is 42nd: 2025 Yanolja Attractiveness Index for tourism
In 2025, Osaka in Japan has claimed the top spot in the Yanolja Attractiveness Index, overtaking Kyoto, also in Japan, (#3) and surpassing long-established tourism powerhouses such as Paris in France (#2), New York in the United States (#4), and Seoul in South Korea (#5).
Open Monuments Day, 14 September 2025, in Antwerp: Discover the city’s sacred sites
On Sunday 14 September 2025, the 37th edition of Open Monuments Day will take place. With the theme ‘In Style!‘ this year’s programme highlights remarkable buildings in a wide range of architectural styles.
GERMANY | Dessau – Weimar – Coburg – Kassel railroad trip
October 2024. During a week-long whistle-stop tour of Germany, we visit Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt, Weimar in Thuringia, Coburg in Upper Franconia (Bavaria) and Kassel in Hesse. Smaller cities, yes. But each with their own significance. Untouched by overtourism. We’re avoiding using the white trains of DB Fernverkehr, Deutsche Bahn‘s long-distance section and opt to use…
BOERENTOREN | Resit for Fernand Huts’ big transformation plans
The Boerentoren or Farmers’ Tower, one of Antwerp’s most iconic buildings, is set to undergo a significant transformation under the direction of entrepreneur Fernand Huts and star architect Daniel Libeskind. With a revised design now submitted, the project appears to be moving closer to final approval, although key planning steps remain incomplete.