From Brussels to Amsterdam via Antwerp

Actually, I just want to go to the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam. But since both flights there and accommodations on site are very expensive, I decide to fly to Brussels with Ryanair for 19 € and then take the Flixbus from Antwerp and Rotterdam to Amsterdam. Of course, I plan a little time for sightseeing in all cities - a tight schedule for a weekend, but doable.

Brussels is not a beautiful city, my guidebook tells me on every other page, nevertheless I feel comfortable right away upon arrival. The streets are clean, the suburbs that the airport bus takes me through are well-maintained, the city center smells wonderfully of waffles and chocolate, and the main square, the 'Grand Place', with the baroque guildhouses and the late-Gothic town hall is enchanting. Worth seeing are, among others, the St. Michael's Cathedral, the 'Place Royale', which can be reached from the lower town via the 'Mont des Arts', with the Royal Museums of Fine Arts, the 'Parc de Bruxelles' and last but not least the European Quarter.

After six hours I have checked off almost all the highlights and continue to Antwerp. There I sprint to the historic center, visit the Cathedral of Our Lady and the 'Grote Markt', the most famous square in town, which is surrounded by splendid guild houses as well as the town hall in the Flemish Renaissance style, just like the 'Grand Place' in Brussels. The atmosphere in Antwerp is great, there are countless sweet places to stop for a snack, a long shopping street for shopping, and I regret that I have to go back to the bus station after a few hours.

The Flixbus driver who is supposed to take us to Rotterdam, where I will stay overnight, seems a bit confused. He can't scan the tickets and can't operate the air conditioning (- or is it broken?), so a passenger opens the emergency exit on the ceiling a bit so we don't suffocate from the heat. Thick flies are already flying around us, a baby is crying. When we arrive at a train station in Rotterdam almost an hour late, the driver doesn't know if it is the main train station, so I have to find out myself. In the end, I arrive safely at my destination, but there is only time for a short evening walk through the city center before the sun sets.

The next day belongs to the ballet. I have a leisurely breakfast, in an hour I am in Amsterdam by bus (this time everything is great), I circle the Het Muziektheater several times in anticipation of the performance, which finally starts at 2 p.m.: 'Tristan und Isolde', choreography: David Dawson, music: Szymon Brzóska, danced by the wonderful Dutch National Ballet... They get me after just five minutes. After three minutes I already know that I am going to cry, but I won't give up my tears without a little struggle. It is overwhelmingly beautiful, just like it was the last time, and I decide to book for the next premiere as soon as I return to Berlin. Then it's already time to go home by train..

Maybe I don't take a detour every time, but maybe I also get to know all the places in the vicinity of Amsterdam in this way. What is certain is that I want to see this ensemble, which dies for every movement on stage, dance many more times. :-)