Antwerp in Flanders

I lived in Antwerp for 9 months when I was 22 and hadn't been back since. I had forgotten how pretty the city is, particularly the inner city.

Antwerp cathedral

A glorious cathedral, said to be the finest Gothic cathedral in Europe,  towers over the old town with its distinctive Flemish houses.

Antwerp inner city

I was told the houses are used, either for city administration or as private housing as that is the way to make sure they are maintained.

Side chapel in the Cathedral with
Our Lady of Antwerp.

Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

It is a very religious city, is now Catholic but was Protestant in its past. Like much of Europe the religion changed with the overlords.

If you ask the people here where they come from they say they are Flemish or European, not Belgian.