We didn't know what to expect when we arrived in Antwerp, having only come here due to it being one of the top 4 places to see in Belgium plus only a short drive from Brussels. As we drove through the city in search of our campsite we discovered it wasn't especially remarkable and on a closer inspection found that it's top attraction was the architecturally significant train station.

After finding that the campsite was out of service we headed off to a shopping centre on the outskirts of the city. To our delight we discovered it had a shop selling "authentic" homemade Australian icecream which we found amusing considering we'd never heard of Australia being known for it's icecream... We also discovered the Lunch Garden restaurant chain which offered a different take on fast food, offering a cross between Sizzlers and a la carte food. The biggest highlight, however was the booths marked to indicate they offered power and wifi, perfect for our needs :) Having spent the evening within the restaurant, we left at closing and decided to camp in the carpark for the evening.

After an unbroken sleep we awoke to heavy snow and as we made our way from Antwerp to Brussels along the sludgy frozen motorway we were amazed at the daring and skill of the local drivers as they drove at breakneck speeds in these icy conditions. We took our time and finally arrived in Brussels were we had booked a hotel for the night. This turned out to be a nice surprise, offering the first bath in far too long, as well as a pool table to entertain ourselves with while the weather remained subzero. This also gave us the opportunity to sample one of Belgiums greatest products: Beer!! By the end of the night I was best mates with the night watch, an immigrant from Iran who provided some insights into the country from a source other than the media.

The next day was still miserable so, after some morning chores, we decided to drive the short distance (45km) back to Antwerp to spend a lazy day wondering the shopping centre and watching videos. After spending the night there again we headed back to Brussels at the crack of dawn to start exploring the city. First stop was the Atomium, a large structure in the shape of an Iron molecule that was built for the 1958 European Expo. From within the spheres we were offered some of the best views of the city, albeit a little hazy, as well as various other exhibitions which we discovered we had no interest in. From here we walked the short distance to Mini Europe, a "theme" park containing miniatures of many of the great buildings throughout the European countries, complete with moving parts and an exploding Mount Vesuvius.

Next we caught the train into the city centre and made our way to the Grand Place, a square surrounded by some of the best buildings in Brussels. Although it was interesting (as well as packed with tourists) we had other things on our mind, namely chocolate. So we set off in search of the Chocolate Museum, getting lost along the way and discovering buildings decorated in 5-story high comic art (another of Belgiums greatest products, the most notable being Tintin and the Smurfs). After finding the museum, we spent the next half an hour wondering the small establishment before being offered samples and watching as a chocolatier created little chocolate delights. Although the chocolate was nice we were a little let down due to the museum containing mostly trinkets used in the serving of chocolate and even more so when we discovered that the biggest skill to creating the chocolate delights they were charging a small fortune for, was to select the biggest range of molds to shape the chocolate with.

Our final stop for the day was to visit the Comic Museum which turned out to be much larger and more "museum like" than the former. The museum did seem to be more of a Tintin museum than a Comic museum but it was warm inside ;) We ended our day, catching the train back to the van, ready for an early start to the best attraction yet.

We were at the Cantillon Brewery at 9am, as the doors were opening. This was a working brewery and we were given information and access to most parts. What made this brewery unique was that the beer was brewed the old-fashioned way, without adding yeast, instead letting the yeast be introduced from the surrounding environment by not sealing the beer initially and resulting in spontaneous fermentation. This produces Lambic Beer which is usually aged for 3 years, can last over 25 years and has a remarkably distinct taste. After learning a great deal and wandering corridors containing thousands of bottles and casks, our palates were educated further as we sampled a couple of varieties, including a raspberry beer, while being entertained by our passionate host.

After a morning that had turned out to be more enjoyable than anticipated we headed on to Ghent, which was reported to be a smaller version of Brugge; scenic buildings, canals and parks, but without the tourists. The information was correct and we enjoyed wandering the city for a couple of hours, past canals that were cleaner than Venice or Amsterdam containing well-kept houseboats before discovering one of the many parks the city had on offer. Having had a taste of what Brugge had to offer we decided to head off and see it for ourselves. We booked two nights at the local caravan site, which was only a short walk from the old city and gave us a base to explore from,  before getting to bed early so we could start off first thing the next day.

After another great night sleep (in a series of many in this country) we walked the few kilometres to cross the bridge and enter the old city. Just like Ghent it was very picturesque but also contained the expected increase in tourists. Having spent the last few months seeing so many great sites, Brugge  didn't dissapoint but we were losing interest in seeing yet another cathedral/palace/building and so, with hot chocolate in hand, we wandered our way back out of the city. The following day we packed up, crossed the border into France and parked outside the ferry terminal in Dunkirk ready for our trip back to the UK in the wee hours of the following morning.