Arrivederchi Antwerp, Hello Holland

Looked down into the street from my window last night and spotted a local corner cafe which appeared to have a touch of Flanders character. Decided to go in search of sustenance. Turned out they don't do dinner but they did have a big cauldron of hot soup and the kindly lady behind the counter said I was welcome to help myself to a bowl of the French Onion Soup and bread for Euro 2.50. What else would I do? It was obviously home made, delicious and it just hit the spot.

While I was sitting there I glanced through their menu. They do an English breakfast so I retraced my steps to dine there this morning. This time a friendly gentleman named Raymond welcomed me into his little cafe and made me the perfect cup of coffee and sent my order for breakfast to the kitchen upstairs. Afterwards, I asked Raymond if I could take his photo. He smilingly obliged and said I should tell my friends I had dined with Bill Clinton!!!

If you're ever in Antwerp, I recommend visiting "Bill" for breakfast at the Bistro Jologie which is in the street behind the Central Railway Station.

After my hearty breakfast I set off to visit the The Cathedral of Our Lady, a Roman Catholic cathedral. It was started in 1352 and, although the first stage of construction was ended in 1521, has never

been 'completed'. The cathedral contains a number of significant works by Rubens, whose statue stands in the square in front as well as paintings by some other artists. It is on the list of World Heritage Sites.

These buildings are awe inspiring and there is one around every corner. I decided to explore the many little back streets in this area and they were so chock-a-block of interesting little shops which just screamed "come inside Sharyn" and cafes etc that I managed to lose myself until I began to worry about catching my afternoon train to Rotterdam. A courteous local suggested that the metro would be the quickest way back to Central Station so took this advice. Almost missed my stop because it's not called 'Central' on the metro. Phew!

Just had time to pop in and say goodbye to the girls at Simon Diamonds who had very kindly stored my luggage for me while I

visited the Cathedral quarter. Eventually made the train comfortably and set off for Rotterdam.

I was a bit weary by the time the train glided out of the station. Really wanted to watch the passing scenery but could feel my eyelids getting heavy. As a precaution I set the alarm on my phone to go off 10 minutes before the arrival time at Rotterdam.

Hadn't made arrangements with brother Jack regarding meeting place so I asked a policeman and discovered there were two main entrances. He pointed me in what he thought would be the most likely direction so off I went. Stood around for several minutes getting a little worried. Decided to head back towards the other entrance which by this time seemed like 10 miles in the opposite direction, and there they were, Adrie and brother Ari.

Much arm waving and visible relief.

Dropped off my luggage and went to Adrie's place. Received an overwhelming welcome from little Simba - my new best friend.

The new Rotterdam Central Railway Station.