We live in a vivid neighbourhood, inhabited by people with origins from all over the world. On a large square at the end of our street, you will find different kinds of bars and restaurants: Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Moroccan … At regular times, the square is used for markets, performances and the like. At the other end of our street is a large park, of which we will tell you more later on.

Let us take you on a trip around our neighbourhood to show you a few highlights we pass by when we go running. First off is Park Spoor Noord, a former railway yard where trains transported goods to the port and where they could be repaired, now turned into a park with sport facilities, playgrounds, a skate park, a Scandinavian restaurant and a summer bar. Passing by a yacht club and a dock with houseboats, you will find the Havenhuis, a former fire station that’s rebuild by the famous architect Zaha Hadid, referring to the diamant sector which is very typical for Antwerp. It now houses the port authority. The river Schelde was and still is very important for the economy of Flanders. At the small Droogdokkenpark, where in earlier times boats could be repaired in dry docks, you have a nice view on one side at the port on the horizon and on the other side at the ancient harbour and the city centre. It’s a place where people gather together to sport, relax, read a book or party. There is also a summer bar. From there on, you can enter the historical centre, passing by a marina and the MAS, a fantastic building where you can find a bar, a restaurant with three Michelin stars, a rooftop terrace and a museum with different kinds of exhibitions about Antwerp, the river Schelde, the port and its connections with the world.

From Antwerp, you can easily discover other regions in Belgium and other countries. It’s only a 10 minute walk to the central train station, often voted as one of the most beautiful train stations in the world. Trains bring you to the capital of Belgium and a centre of the European Union (Brussels, 0h35), the coast and the sea (Ostend, 1h45), the hills of the Ardennes (Dinant, 2h30), the Netherlands (Amsterdam, 1h50), France (Paris, 2h), Germany (Cologne, 2h30) and the United Kingdom (London, 3h30).