Antwerp's Graffiti Alley

One of my favourite spots in Antwerp is definitely Kopstraatje. I got such a charge out of seeing it in an episode of Cordon and I long to go back...

 

 

 

 

Basking Sharks

I first saw these monstrous creatures on an episode of Animal Planet during Shark Week when I was in Antwerp. Sharks terrify me to the very core of my being, but even just a photo of a Basking Shark makes my blood run cold. I'm sure they are lovely little fishies, in their own right, but my god, they are horrifying.

(photo kidnapped from imgur)

Farewell to 2014

2014 was pretty freakin' fantastic. The best though? Definitely discovering Antwerp, which Michel now refers to as "your second home." I'm already super excited about returning for the third time. So here is a recap of my year...

·Sean and Ashlee get hitched!

·See Ireland and London and Belgium with Ashlee.

·We lose our little Livi Livi Liv bug and the world grows a little sadder.

 ·California with my lil brother!

·Marina comes back home with Mateo and soon to follow was primo Mario!

·Kay and Syd start high school!
(1st photo: Kayla is the lovely lady in blue - 2nd photo: Syd is the cutie patootie in the middle)

·My first adventure all on my own.

·Finally see Fallingwater in person after so many years of seeing it only in photographs. It was spectacular.

·Reconnect with Kristin! I love Instagram because it allows me to keep in touch with Bryan and now, Kristin. Watching their lives unfold through photos every week or so makes me happy. I love them both and even though we are far apart and haven't seen eachother in years, I'm grateful that I am still connected to them both.

·Melissa gives birth to Paxton Joy.

·Ashlee and Sean expect their first child in July of 2015!!! (that's our lil' navy bean on the monitor!)

On the Straat, Take Twee

Here are more photos that I snapped while walking through Antwerp in the fall of this year. Instead of my iPhone I used my lil' five dollar spy camera. It looks like a lemonade juice box, but really it's a lo-fi 35mm camera. I really like the self portrait I took while walking past a shop window on Volkstraat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the Straat

I snapped these photos blindly while walking in Antwerp. I kept my phone at my side and randomly clicked away. The first one is pretty damn fantastic, if youse ask me.

 

 

 

 

Coming Attractions

Dontchya just love when you go to the movie theatre and see trailers for upcoming films that actually get you excited for their release? Last week I went to a late showing of The Drop after I got done work and there were three previews that look really, really good.

The Imitation Game with Benedict Cumberbatch is based on real life enigmatic genius, Alan Turing. Don't be too impressed, I only learned about this man after mentioning the film to my Brit pal, Anne. She filled me in on the man behind the code cracking. I do so love a tortured character, and when they are one that actually walked the earth, I find I love them even more.

I do so love me some Tommy Lee Jones. When I was in Antwerp earlier this month, I got a chance to stay up late and re-watch his directorial debut (feature film-wise, that is) The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. This film looks just as outstanding and I'm so looking forward to seeing Hilary Swank and Tommy Lee Jones act side by side.

 

Years ago (ohmigod, eleven years ago???) I saw Gael Garcia Bernal in Dot the I - I think it was Pax (Bishop's husband) who recommended the film to me - and Gael was so good. I kept an eye out for any of his upcoming films and have yet to be disappointed. Now, it goes without saying that Jon Stewart is the cat's meow, so the combination of these two gentleman can only result in cinematic perfection.

 

(credits: The Imitation Game c/o ramascreen - The Homesman c/o en.unifrance - Rosewater c/o huffingtonpost)
(ps - The Drop was pretty good. Tom Hardy was excellent as Bob and played him beautifully. I had read the short story, Animal Rescue, and totally fallen for the character of Bob, so Hardy definitely lived up to my expectations. I'm still trying to figure out why it was set in Brooklyn and not Boston...)

Wout's Place

This time in Antwerp I used Airbnb again but stayed at Wout's place because Michel's wasn't available. The flat was extremely bright and clean and the bed was crazy comfy, but I definitely preferred Michel's place since he sometimes lived there; Wout just rents out his flat and lives elsewhere. The walls at Wout's were all white and with the white drapes it kinda felt like a prison. My home in Jersey is covered in photographs and the walls are painted in rich, inviting colours, so this place was the polar opposite. I definitely appreciated the fantastic location of this apartment and it was super convenient, but by day three I realised that it was kind of a sad place. Wout was really great and totally accommodating, but next time around, I think I'll book my week with Michel.

 

I loved the pictures of Astrid and Leopold. 

  

I spent many a late night watching Animal Planet. It was Shark Month and I couldn't look away.

 

 

 

The rooftops from Wout's balcony.

  

The cleanest peepod ever. Only drawback is that the tub is so skinny! Definitely not designed for a gal with a little, um, black in the back, if you will.

 

Hey look! It's me!

 

And here is my Airbnb host, Wout!