mega autumn post; power up!

So I finally had the opportunity to bring the camera out for a half day, and the result of which are the following photos of autumn here in Antwerp! (less words, more pics this time)

yes, there are a couple of plants still flowering here and there..

[short interruption] and the reason for this super-photo post is that our friends from Holland, R and J are visiting us for the weekend (and a bit)...here you see a bit of Antwerp-orientation at Antwerpen Centraal Station where they give out free maps of the city..

Back to the theme of Autumn...like I mentioned in my previous post, there are carpets of yellow everywhere! its like a movie or something...on any other day, this would just be the corner of a street, but in autumn, its like a patterened carpet...

and here, for randomness' sake, is a Fig plant..

and the reason for it is that we happened to head in the direction of the Antwerpen Plantentuin

and look! a real christmas tree! not made of plastic/with glowing lights/smells of 'real' pine...

and I saw this poster and think it is super-keen-cool...i even alreayd have the handy flyer for the same event with the same graphic...

ok, so here is super touristy pic of the Cathedral and a tree...but not bad right, the light is still quite good for taking photos!!
and last but not least, i thought it was sorta important for everyone to see what we look like in our autumn fashions!!

this is what autumn looks like

So I had the opportunity for a quick trip out for some groceries (for the regular stuff, but also some extra things for friends who are coming over from Holland for a day or two); and the blankets of yellowing leaves, the 10+ degree days and the penchant for soup-stew-curry simply summarizes that the cooler days are here..

I packed my trusty camera for the trip to the supermarket and tried looking for some examples of the autumn-y vibe..

and the strangest thing is that, the first thing that I saw that caught my eye was this bottle of vodka on a power exchange box - the red was really jumping out in the 11am light..

and this is the tram that runs adjaecent to the Antwerp Zoo, and the uncle crossing the lane looks like he's making a funky dance move onto the pavement!

here is an example of the above-mentioned yellow-leaf-blanket; its amazing; sometimes you can't even see the road/pavement (for those who don't know - there is only the wet-rainy, 95% humidity season in Singapore, so all this 4 seasons stuff is new for me)

And when I looked across the road, there was a statue of Mary and Jesus in a rather unusual place - its almost at the 3rd floor of the building!

and this building has a cool back story; if my orientation is correct, this is the ante building to an abandoned church currently being used as a location for a squatter's community [behind the wall] - they have gigs, pasar malams and all sorts of activities at this building -- sorta like a community centre, but completely existing because of grassroots activities.
and yes, you did see correctly; there's a 2-man tent on the roof of the building!

yah....construction and wayfinding signs

in case anyone is wondering, this is what I look like now..it's not the best picture in the world, but you can (roughly) see that I'm bundled up (i'm in 3 layers here), and still wearing trainers..

and this is the last (and a bit random) picture of this post; when I got back from the adventure of grocery shopping, it was hailing!  the picture doesn't really show this clearly, but that's what hail looks like when you are taking a quick picture...

chocomelk tijd!

So here is some big news; i got my certificate for the first stage Dutch language course!!  I am super-stoked that I can now head over to a cafe/supermarket/the library without panicking!!

to celebrate this big occasion, here is a truly inspiring series of photos; I present....

Hot Chocolate in Antwerp!!

Step 1: Put the milk on (not pictured), and assemble all necessary items

Step 2: Pour hot milk into mug, position chocolicious goodness above mug

Step 3: Slowly lower said cube of chocolate goodness into mug

Step 4: (Optional) Swirl stick around a bit; the sight of melting chocolate makes you happy..

Step 5: kick back, relax and sip slowly....

I tried to upload a video of the melting chocolate, and will try again... hope you enjoy the pics