Coming from America, the land of Costco and the concept of 24/7 service, I was caught off guard trying to explore the city of Antwerp on one June Monday.
Across most of Europe, I found most businesses to be closed on Sundays. Where I lived in Barcelona, even large commercial grocery store chains remained closed in honor of the Lord’s Day. In Antwerp, however, it seems as if both Sunday and Monday are seen as off days.
We arrived to the Antwerp Central Station and walked through the quiet streets of the big city wondering where everyone had gone. Our tourist map indicated a variety of intriguing museums and attractions ranging from a fashion museum to something called “Pirate Island”. After roaming around the city in search of this list of points of interest, we began to realize that everything was closed. All seven of the museums that we tried to enter turned us away at the door. McDonald’s and H&M were about the only places open for business.
To make matters worse, it seems that throughout Belgium kitchens for lunch close between the hours of 13:00 and 17:00, which tends to pose a problem when searching for a decent meal at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Even restaurants sporting signs reading “Non-Stop Kitchen” replied that they only served drinks during these hours. At this time of the afternoon, locals typically go into the café’s to grab a pot of tea and contemplate the day that has passed. Ultimately, we grudgingly settled on the only Durum stand that we found open.
After lunch, we figured that we’d venture to the waterfront where we found a good amount of people enjoying the beach. By beach, I mean a wooden dock fronting a dirty river, but we decided to join the masses anyway and lay there for the remainder of our day.
Initially, as a beginning tourist, I found this day to be extremely annoying. Now, however, I realize that it’s simply a cultural difference that I must learn to cope with. With this in mind, I filled the remainder of the Mondays in Europe with alternative excursions and explorations away from the museums and tourist attractions, which I believe greatly broadened my experience abroad.
