Well, let's get back to my subject. My true purpose of visiting Antwerp lies elsewhere!
I went straight to my TRUE destination, a beer cafe.

"DEN ENGEL" is a popular beer cafe in the old town. The atmosphere was very cozy and I really loved it!
By the way, there is a beer cafe which is named "DEN BENGEL" next door to "DEN ENGEL". I'm not sure whether it is the same cafe or not.

Take a look at the menu closely. As I expected, the price of Belgian beer is very low. Generally, the price was around one-third of the price in Japan. Belgian beer is a luxury in Japan!

First of all, I drank "Rodenbach classic (ABV 5%)".
Rodenbach:http://www.rodenbach.be/
"Rodenbach classic" is deep ruby red in color with a fruity flavor and sour taste. It seems a bit similar to umeshu(Japanese plum wine). The taste is not too complex so it's a good beer quenching your thirst on a hot day.

For the second glass, I ordered "Leffe Donker(Brune) (ABV 6.5%)".
Leffe：http://www.leffe.com/en
It's a Belgian abbey ale, with a dark brown color and malty flavor. It's a little sweet. It has a slightly toasted taste and it's one of my favorite Belgian beers!

The beer cafe was right in front of the Grote Markt. The Grote Markt is a square which is located in the old town and it is surrounded by impressive architecture, along with many restaurants and cafes, so it's a wonderful tourist attarction.

Most of the buildings bordering the Grote Markt are former "Guild houses". A guild was a society of salesmen, craftmen and fishermen, "guild houses" were originally the headquarters of the wealthy guilds during the 16-17 century.
Each building was designed with an individual decoration to express the power and wealth of the different guilds.

The most eye-catching feature in the square was the Town Hall which was decked out with many European flags. It was very colorful and wonderful. A bronze statue of Brabo in front of the Town Hall is another tourist attraction.

Brabo is a legendary person in Antwerp. The legend said that 2000 years ago, Brabo defeated a giant who made people suffer, chopping off it's hand and throwing it into the river.
Since then, this town has called Antwerpen. 'Ant' comes from the word 'hand', meaning 'hand', and 'werpen' means to 'throw away'. Of course it's only a legendary story....

I went to the cathedral again to take a break. I bought a ticket and stepped into the building.

There are the Ruben's paintings which appear in the story. They are paintings which Nello looked up at as he passed away in the last scene.

This is the last scene from the anime. It is the saddest scene in which Nello and his dog are taken up to heaven. If you are Japanese, you must get teary just by imagining that scene!

By the way, the ending of the book "A Dog of Flanders", published in America was changed due to the ending being too sad. I heard that Nello and his dog don't die at the cathedral, and his father comes forward to live together in happiness. The book was made into a live-action movie 4 times in America, and the story was also different to the original book in every movie. This is very American....