THE VLM AIRLINES GUIDE TO...

ANTWERP

Kevin De Waele joined VLM Airlines as chief accountant in Belgium in 2004, and is now senior financial controller for the airline. He lives with his wife in Schoten just outside Antwerp, and commutes into the city every day.

COMBINING PROUD HISTORY WITH CUTTING EDGE STYLE, MODERN Antwerp has successfully managed the much-coveted civic trick of building on its past while finding new industries and forging a new identity. Making the most of its position on the Scheldt River, Antwerp first emerged as a business hub at the end of the Middle Ages and later became a centre for the global diamond industry. This rich legacy is still visible in the city’s magnificent Gothic architecture, as well as in the work of artists such as Rubens, Breughel and Van Dyck, who all lived and painted here.

Over the past half century Antwerp has transformed itself into one of the world’s coolest cities, with a trendy river front and a fashion industry that enjoys a deservedly global reputation. “It’s a beautiful place: I often see tourists in the street gaping at how stunning it is,” says 28-year-old senior financial controller for VLM Airlines Kevin De Waele. “We have a lot of culture here, but I also like that it’s full of style, with some of the world’s best designers and creatives living and working here.”

For all the cool, trendy credentials, though, it’s at the low key Café Hopper jazz bar that Kevin begins his tour of the city. “It’s a place to relax and chill out,” he says. “It attracts a diverse crowd from old locals to students who have been studying at the museum nearby. I often come here on Sunday afternoons, meet friends, order a Cava wine and listen to the live jazz bands.”

By contrast, the Little Buddha is a more conspicuous affair. Once a storehouse and later a garage, it is now a funky Thai restaurant with a hip interior of white tables and chairs and red fluorescent lights in the floor. The restaurant’s own resident DJ adds to the lounge atmosphere and provides a unique soundtrack for dinner. “I love Asian food and they have some really original dishes here. But above all, it’s just so cosy, and it makes the perfect setting for a romantic dinner,” says Kevin.

Outside work, Kevin’s passion is korfball, a game similar to netball and played by mixed teams. Kevin plays four or five times a week for his Voorwaarts team, and is also in the Belgian national team, which is ranked number two in the world. “Many people don’t know about the sport, but it is very popular here and in Holland. We will be taking part in the World Games in Kaohsiung in Taiwan next year.”

If he has visitors in town, Kevin likes to take them to Aquatopia, an aquarium with two floors of different water habitats that include submarine, mangrove, corals, reefs, lush vegetation, swamps, and rain forests, and which accommodate more than 250 different species of animals and a striking array of marine life. “I love watching the octopus squeeze itself through a tiny hole that connects two tanks – that always amazes me,” he says. “And one of the pools goes over your head, so you can see the rays swimming past just above you.”

When it’s time for a quick meal Kevin heads for De Bloemkool, a restaurant that combines a curious blend of Italian and Flemish influences. Although the name literally means cauliflower in Flemish, the vegetable does not feature on the menu and pasta is the order of the day. “It’s a great place to pop in for lunch when I’m in the middle of my Saturday shopping,” says Kevin. Just around the corner is Chocolaterie Burie, a chocolate shop renowned for its spectacular window displays, and a favourite place to stop and pick up a sweet treat or two.

The heart of the shopping district is the Stadsfeestzaal, an imposing 19th-century neoclassical building off the Meir artery originally built at the beginning of the 20th-century as a permanent site for official festivities. After it was destroyed by fire in 2000, the glass-vaulted hall was renovated and reopened in 2007 as a modern shopping centre. With its glass-iron vault, enormous glass dome, large marble staircase, gold-leaf-finished stucco and spacious interior square, it is an extraordinary venue.

“They took their time rebuilding and the result is beautiful inside. Even if you’re not shopping, it is worth a visit,” enthuses Kevin. The complex includes stores from Nike to Tommy Hilfiger, as well as a Laurent Perrier Champagne Bar and a La Place restaurant.

When it comes to impressing his wife, though, only one shop will do. Tintoretto is a classy women’s boutique and is an excellent place for up-market shopping. “I take my wife here once a year to buy a cocktail dress – it’s not cheap, but it’s worth it,” he says. “It is for when you’re looking for something special, with a bit of colour – red, of course, is the speciality.”

WORDS BY LEO CENDROWICZ