During my time studying abroad, I had a residency in Antwerpen, Belgium which was just a short walk away from the University of Antwerpen. Near the university there was a small market area designated for the students. Here there were different restaurants and stores, each with their own specialization, but the business with the most presence were the small pubs. In the Belgium culture any given afternoon will consist of meeting friends or co-workers at one of the numerous pubs for one of Belgium's world renown beers. Many are small with a maximum occupancy of about 20-30 people, and are owned and operated by 1-3 employees.
This is the area where students would gather to hangout during the day and at night.
The Barracuda was a fun place to hangout. Many students would come to do a mid day study break or grab something to eat from the snack shop across the street.
Den Buvee was my personal favorite bar. The owner was very friendly with us from the first day to the last. A fun nightlife atmosphere with current music , wide variety of drinks, and always good people to share a fun night with.
De Shacht was a unique bar. The atmosphere can be summed up in the name, sort of like a secret fun spot that unless you've experienced it for yourself, one may not know about the potential times to be had here.
These were my favorite pubs in Antwerpen, I talked about 4 of them but there were just as many in this same area that I didn't have the chance to get a full experience at. Outside of Antwerpen my next favorite pub city was Dublin, Ireland. Here they have world famous bars and pubs such as The Temple Bar all within the tourist area of Dublin. When you get your chance to visit Europe, take advantage of the social culture they have, but be careful because you don't want to spend all of your time and money at these establishments, as there is so much more to see and experience.
-Dan
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