Japan to Belgium

Unfortunately, there isn't a regular direct flight from Japan to Belgium, so you need to change flights at a country somewhere whithin Europe.

I flew with Lufthansa German Airlines departing from Tokyo to Munchen in Germany and I needed to change for a flight bound for Brussels in Belgium there. The layover at Munchen International Airport was only one hour.

I don't mind changing the airplanes, but waiting for my next flight in another country always makes me a bit nervous. I have to be careful of drinking to much on the plane....

I arrived at Brussels International Airport safely. But that wasn't my goal.... From here, I needed to take a bus to today's destination, Antwerp railway station.

Brussels to Antwerp

When I finally reached the hotel in Antwerp, it was before 10pm(5am Japanese local time). I left home at 6am, so it took me almost 24 hours to get to Antwerp from my house in Japan. I had managed to live through the long and tiring day....

On the 2nd day after arriving in Antwerp, the weather was cloudy, however I had really been looking forward to move around the town!

First of all, I went to the train station and I bought a "Lijnkaart"(De Lijn's bus and tram card) at the tourist information center inside the station building.

A Lijnkaart costs 10 euro, and it would give you about 10 single journeys between the old part of the town and the main train station(the number of times depends on how far you will travel). It's better to buy a Lijnkaart than buying a ticket each time as it saves money and is easier to use.
Most tourist attractions in Antwerp are in the old part of the town and are around a 30-minute walk from the station. If you stay in the neighborhood of the Antwerp central train station, I recommend buying this card.

Like most European cities, Antwerp has its own great railway station. Stepping into the building, you would be impressed by its amazing architecture! I heard that the American magazine "Newsweek" judged Antwerp train station as the world's 4th greatest train station in 2009. In 2004 a British-American magazine rated it to be the most beautiful railway station in the world.

Be sure to appreciate the station carefully! ...However, to tell the truth I'm NOT much for European architecture.

As you can see, tourist attractions like the Cathedral of Our Lady and the Town Hall and such are in the old part of the town. However, there are many convenient bus and tram services and I think that you will have no trouble with getting around.

Though, one thing you need to be careful of is the pre-metro. Some tram lines are called the pre-metro and they run underground in the city center.

If you are a little worried about getting on the tram between the train station and the old part of the town, I recommend tram number10 and11. Tram number10 and 11 are different to the pre-metro type of trams , as they run above the ground and loop back around to the central station, while stopping at popular tourist spots, as you can see in this picture.

Be sure to insert your card in the yellow ticket validation machine near the door every time you board.
If you forget to do it and board a bus or tram, it would be fare evading! When you get caught for fare evading on board, you need to pay a fine on the spot!

After inserting your card, the travel times and price are printed on the back of the card. Be sure to check the remaining number of times you can use the card before boarding.

The huge steeple of the Cathedral of Our Lady can be seen from anywere in the city and there isn't any chance of getting lost in the city center because of its height!

So I got off the tram wherever I felt like and I headed for the cathedral while looking at the steeple in the distance.

I was so easy to get to the front of the Cathedral of Our Lady.

Well, there is a strange object in this place and I came to see this.
What do you think it is? It is a monument of the book "A Dog of Flanders".

In Japan, this book was made into an animated TV series in 1975 and in 1992. It was also made into a movie in 1997.
Because of this, most Japanese people, especially those beyond a certain age, know the book and its animated series well.

"A Dog of Flanders" is an 1872 novel by an English author. Originally, the book wasn't widely known in Belgium and the local people wondered why many Japanese people came to Antwerp. So many Japanese tourists came and asked about the places associated with the story at the tourist information center.
Nowadays, there is a small statue of Nello and Patrasch at their hometown, Hoboken, and a monument of the book "A Dog of Flanders" in front of the cathedral. Of course, tourists form other parts of the world tend to take no notice of these objects....

The story is set in Antwerp about a poor boy named Nello and his dog, Patrasche. The poor boy, Nello worked as a milk porter and he supported his sick grandfather, his only family. But his grandfarther passed away and Nello was suspected of arson, so he was turned out of the house. On a snowy Christmas Eve, he passed away with his dog at the Cathedral of Our Lady in front of the famous paintings he had been keen to see....

It sounds very sad and now just by writing only the outline, I'm close to tears. However, Japanese people love this teary story and its animated series. Don't ask me why.