Public Art at its absolute finest. Bravo Antwerp!…read more A beautiful, open, leafy park full of statues and sculptures. SO cool! It was a godsend after being cooped up inside the house for a few days of rain. We all got out to the park and my toddler was able to roam, explore, jump in the leaves, stomp in the dirt and I got to enjoy a gorgeous park and really nice art installations. Win/win. (Although I am pretty sure his favorite part was the construction equipment, but hey -- that's sort of art in its own way, right!?) Make your way to Middelheimmuseum -- fresh air, art, free space to roam, great for kids, and a quick stop into Cafe Mika, all the makings of a lovely afternoon. It was a nice mix of travelers and locals, kids, adults, dogs, everyone is welcome. *restrooms available at several locations. *free entry. *kits can be checked out at the gift shop (near cafe) for children to have guided exploration. Great for school aged kids.

Big beautiful parks with great sculptures, trees, lakes and creeks all around. Our hotel was just…read more10 mins walk to the park so we thought we will check it out. It's really a nice change after seeing too much of the city and buildings. A peaceful place with wonderful nature and art!

the EKO haus is the Japanese house of Culture and Buddhist Understanding. In it, the Japanese…read moreliving in the area are able to practice and cultivate their customs and culture. But also locals can have an opportunity to learn about Japanese culture and actively participate in it. Among the events of the centre there are: Buddhist festivals, tea ceremonies, garden parties with musical or theatrical performances, music events, reading circles for Buddhist texts, exhibitions, courses in traditional Japanese arts, lectures , film presentations, etc. Anyhow, they have this beautiful Japanese garden in the Temple grounds, a peaceful oasis and a must visit in Düsseldorf, makes you think you're in Japan. To get there you can take the U-bahn to Heerdter Sandberg and walk for about 10 minutes. Otherwise you can take a bus to Niederkasseler Kirchweg and walk for 3 minutes (I saw the City tour hop-on hop-off bus also stops here).

A beautiful and serene patch of Japan in Oberkassel - perfectly manicured lawn, landscaped and well…read moreproportioned garden with water features and a temple in the background (which you have to pay to get in but can enjoy from outside). A very peaceful place most of the time, great for a bit of stillness and meditation

Is it a happy Santa Claus holding a bell and a Christmas tree or is it a naughty Santa holding…read moresomething unmentionable?? Interesting to visit this Santa Claus by Paul McCarthy with our tour guide Nidas from Free Walking Tour Rotterdam. Had I just walked by this oversized Santa, might not have known how controversial this giant statue has been. Once the inspiration was revealed, the statue was rejected by many local businesses and it was moved from location to location. Read the other reviews to learn more about what Santa holds in his right hand. Maybe that's why he is smiling??

The Low Countries seems to house their fair share of interesting statues…read more.. The city of Rotterdam commissioned sculptor Paul McCarthy (not the Beatles member) to create a piece of public art for a square near the orchestra building. Created in 2001, the sculpture is supposed to depict Santa Claus holding a bell in one hand and a Christmas tree in the other. The locals, or rather, anyone with an imagination, thought otherwise. Reception was obviously mixed, with some finding it offensive while other people thought it symbolized Western consumerism around Christmastime gone wrong. It was eventually rejected from its original site due to the controversy and for several years moved about the city until it found a permanent place in the Eendrachtsplein. The statue was only a 15 minute walk from Rotterdam Centraal station so I visited the statue on my way back to the station. If the city can design a food hall with a mural of fruits in the ceiling and cube houses as residential spaces, surely it has room for one more unusual object?

I don't have much context here but this sculpture depicts two men, one extremely thin and one…read moreextremely fat. Or they are a model of different generations, one from the older "war generation" and the other from the young generation of the 1960's. They appear to be having an animated conversation/argument. Apparently, this has something to do with a joke that I didn't find particularly funny. [Review 16356 overall - 163 in Germany - 1863 of 2021.]

We visited on 10/3/24. My husband and I love cathedrals so we always try to see them in new cities…read more The inside was exquisite. The details the art it was inspiring and breathtaking. It had this energy of peace and tranquility that I loved. I am very grateful we got to experience this.

Truly a stunning cathedral both inside and outside. I thought it was going to be a quick in and out…read morehaving seen a lot of the amazing churches in Europe but this one is up there as well and we ended up spending a lot of time here including some time to meditate. It was not crowded so did not feel rushed which was nice.

Okay, while I didn't go inside (and I'm not even sure if you can go inside - I didn't check) this…read moreis still a pretty awesome place to check out. Like the towers of the cathedral and Martin Luther's church, the tower of the Historic Rathaus can be seen from most parts of the city, however the impressive nature of the building only comes to the for when you actually get up close to it. Basically the tower is covered in statues of various celebrities of the city. I have to be honest that I don't know who precisely the statues represent, but apparently one of them is a witch. However, even though I don't know the identity of the statues, it is still pretty cool to spend some time admiring the architecture.

If you're the sort of tourist who likes to learn a little about the social history of the places…read moreyou visit, and if you speak German, then I recommend popping into the City Hall. There are a couple tapestries and paintings to view that will give you insights into the city's history, and often art exhibits and such that will give you a sense of the current state of affairs in Cologne. There is also an atrium explaining the legend of the mayor and the lion. However, you need to speak/read German, as virtually nothing is written in English.

This castle is a short walk from the Antwerp train station! We visited on 10/3/24. It's really nice…read morebecause you can walk around the castle and roof for free. It was a little weird because we expected a very old inside and a old time vibe but the biggest area inside of the castle that's open to the public is a gift shop. It was still a blast to see and I'm glad we went!

Seriously, you have to love a good old medieval castle. Okay, maybe it isn't strictly a medieval…read morecastle, but it still looks like one. Actually, the official title is a gate house, namely because it was used to collect tolls from boats that would stop off in Antwerp as they travelled up the Scheld. The castle was also a prison because, well, what better place to put prisoners than in a cold and dank medieval castle. Apparently it is now a museum, but I didn't get to check out the museum because, well, I couldn't find out where the entrance was located. Still, I did get a change to wander around the castle, which is always something that I love doing, especially since there aren't all that many castles in Australia.

Just a heads up -- the majority if art in here is by other artists. There are a few wonderful…read morepieces from Rubens himself but don't expect a museum of his work. This is mostly art that was part of his personal collection and the work of his contemporaries. Rubens is an example of an artist that was successful during his lifetime. He operated a studio and was very in demand. Thus, due to his wealth, the house is quite beautiful. The tour of the house is self-guided. They have booklets in various languages with numbers corresponding with art pieces. You just follow the path and bury your nose in your booklet to learn about the art. You don't need too much time here. If you move fast, you can probably see everything in one hour. This may change depending on how crowded the museum gets. The rooms are pretty small but it wasn't too bad when I came here since it was a rainy day at the end of August. **Make sure you see everything. The last room is the most beautiful (large paintings). Don't skip the courtyard in the back either -- gorgeous architecture (although they are currently restoring it). **Free on the last Wednesday of the month. I had no idea but just so happened to visit Antwerp on this day so I got very lucky.

The Rubenshuis, which was the home of the famous painter Pieter Paul Rubens is a site to see if you…read moreneed time to kill. From the outside it looks tremendous and while it does not disappoint from the inside, I felt a little down after seeing the whole thing. Now while this is not the cheapest attraction in the town by far, it will not break the bank, the problem really comes down to what you are expecting. I expected to see more of the lifestyle of Pieter Paul Rubens, but what I got was a refinished house full of art setup in the way of a small art museum. Do not get me wrong, the sculptures and paintings are wonderful, but nothing to write home about when compared to many other museums nearby. Couple that with the small hallways and large crowds and it will have you rushing for the exit as soon as possible. We ended up walking around pretty freely as not many were there an hour after the opening on a crummy weather day, but as we were leaving, we saw a HUGE group heading in, so be aware this may not be friendly for those with no patience or claustrophobic. On the plus side, the back yard and garden is beautiful in the Spring and Summer, but sadly the buildings facade was getting a makeover when we were there. Was it deserving of more than a three star, yes, but I'd leave it at a 3.5 out of 5 to be honest. Still worth visiting though if you read up on it beforehand and interests you.