Antwerp, Belgium: Antwerpen Central

This sure looks like a magnificent building. But what could it be? Since it is inside, it must be some sort of over-the-top hall. 

The answer won't come easily to Americans, who don't have such monuments to railroads. It's the train station of Antwerp, and it is rightly a tourist attraction.

A train station has been on that site since 1836, although the current version went into operation around 1905. The building took some hits during World War II, and the building was closed for repairs in 1986. 

Then in 1998, the building received an update when high-speed speed trains started to come into use. It took a couple of new tunnels to make the logistics work, but the first such train stopped there in 2007.

When we went, all was relatively calm by train station standards. But that wasn't the case back in 2009. That's when the most famous flash mob in history came together here for a video.

Antwerp, Belgium: Paul Rubens Statue

It's always fun to learn about people from the past that have a recognizable name, and that's it. Paul Rubens might be one of those people.

I'm told he is considered the most famous painter of the Flemish Baroque period. His work is full and dramatic. Rubens' painting, "Massacre of the Innocents," sold for $76.2 million back in 2002. 

Paul overlooks a square in downtown Antwerp. It was a good idea to take a photo of him in front of The Cathedral of Our Lady. That's because three of Rubens' works are on display there. When Napoleon took the Netherlands back in the day, he decided a couple of those paintings would look better in France and grabbed them. At least the cathedral got them back later in the 19th century. 

In the right side of the photo, we see The New Church. It dates back to the 1400s. It's owned by the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, but paying for the upkeep proved to be a problem by 1980. It's now used as a hall for exhibitions. 

As long as we are near the Cathedral, we might as well go in:

Antwerp, Belgium: Nello and Patrache Statue

This is a boy and his dog story, with something of a twist.

Ouida wrote the novella, "A Dog of Flanders." It's about an orphan (who likes to paint) and his dog, and was published in 1872. In the book, the story ends when Nello is are wrongly accused of causing a fire, and he goes to Antwerp to see the work of idol Paul Rubens. 

Alas, he runs out of money, and has to sleep in a cathedral on Christmas Eve. The next day, the boy and his dog are found frozen to death under a Rubens painting. 

Now the story takes a twist. The book wasn't exactly iconic back in the Netherlands. However, a television series was made about Nello and Patrache that was shown in Japan and Korea. The story's popularity grew quickly, to the point where people from that region traveled to Antwerp. 

They needed to have something to see. Eventually, this unusual sculpture was placed in front of a cathedral in the 1980. It marks the last happy moments together of Nello and Patrache. Batist Vermeulen gets to take a bow for the public artwork. 

This figured to be a neat story when it popped up on a walking tour of Antwerp. Indeed it was.

Antwerp, Belgium: Grote Market

Here's one of the top tourist attractions in the city of Antwerp. It's Grote Market, and it's another great town square in a European city.

On the left is the town hall, a beautifuy building that dominates the area. But the majestic buildings near by date back to the century, and they are where trade guides used to meet. 

We also have the Brabo Fountain in the middle. Brabo has just cut off the hand of a legendary giant who was doing the same act to sea captains who wouldn't pay the toll to enter the area. Some say Antwerp's name comes from a phrase that means "hand launch." 

But other explanations have popped up as well. We probably will never know the true story on this one.

Antwerp, Belgium: Arbeid Vrijheid Statue

One of the fun parts of visiting foreign cities is to find out what its statues are all about. Take this one in Antwerp.

When I took a look at it, I wondered, "Who the heck is Arbeid Vrigjeid?" It turns out that Arbeid is not a name. It's a slogan: labor freedom.

Apparently the dock workers in Antwerp were a particularly important part of the resistance to the Nazi occupiers from Germany in 1944 and 1945. This is a tribute to them that sits in the old part of town.

Antwerp, Belgium: Het Steen

Welcome to "The Rock." No, Dwayne Johnson doesn't live there. 

This is the oldest building in Antwerp, and it still looks really good after more than 800 years. It was built a little after 1200 as part of a bigger castle complex that was dismantled in the 1800s. It stands as a lookout over the Scheldt River.

Het Steen used to be a prison and a museum. Now it's a tourist attraction. As you may have guessed, Het Steen is Dutch for The Rock.