29/04 - Antwerp

We came to Antwerp for the fashion, not particularily the Antwerp 6. The Fashion Design School is situated nicely in the heart of everything. When we were there, they had a good show on paper fashion. Particularily impressive was a video on a fashion show done by Brazilian Japanese designer Jum Nakao http://www.jumnakao.com.br/ . His show of paper dresses and how each model tore apart her dress at the end of the show was phenomenal. Also worth noting were Issey Miyake's paper dresses. After the show, we strolled through the downtown and found a few interesting fashion boutiques.

28/04 - Bed, Bath & Bread, Antwerp

A comfortable treat for us after many days of hostels. Bed, Bath & Bread of Antwerp, a B&B with only 3 rooms.

28/04 - Antwerpen Centraal Station

A beautiful train station. A unique mix of architectural styles in the old terminal, and an nicely done expansion in the interior that house the high speed railway platforms recently completed. A nice Belgian welcome for us, after the long-haul train ride which took us most of the day, from Caen, then Paris, Lille, and finally Antwerp.

Bruges 2007

A grey chilly day. A melancholy little old town. Here everything makes you to believe that the eternal beauty of Bruges is a legacy of its glorious past, when medieval merchants has transformed the once sleepy town into a prosperous port city famous for its wool and cloth trading. Full of pleasure and joy, you stroll along centuries-old colonnades, cross ancient stone bridges and wind through tiny intricate alleyways, fulfilling your long desire to go back in time. Here nothing reveals the 500-year decline of the town after the commercial port has been abandoned. Fortune receded but proved to be a cycle. A slight Potemkinist touch and a long-lived effort of preservation, Bruges has found a new story of success since late 19th century, being one of the earliest tourist destinations in Europe.

Here the real master is you and me, my fellow tourist.