Meet Cot. Cot is a cool ass bartender who pours drinks at Cafe Bartilia. If you order a Jack & Ginger Cot will look at you like you are insane, which is the appropriate response when someone orders such an American drink in Antwerp.
Cafe Bartilia would be a nice enough bar, however it happens to sit at the head of Antwerp's red light district, which means it has a bit of a seedy side. Truth be told this is just the way we like it. Cot is not at all seedy, he is a normal dude living and working in Antwerp. He tried living in Brussels, but it was just too damn big and ugly, so he found himself back in Antwerp--where he knew his way.
We were on our way to Cafe d'Anvers, mostly because of what we read in the Guardian:
Antwerp can claim to be the birthplace of techno - at least that is what everyone dances to at the ultimate rave club to end a night out, the wild Cafe d'Anvers.
We asked Cot where he would go clubbing and without hesitation he said:
"Petrol. This is not a spot for tourists. This is where we go--it is not in the center of town."
Wanting more info we asked Cot:
"So, did you guys invent techno?"
Cot laughed saying,
"No, I hope not, I hate techno."
We couldn't agree with you more Cot. So to recap, Cafe d'Anvers is a club in the midst of Antwerp's red light district where they blast smoke and techno. The smaller the hours, the more sweaty club rats you will bump into. However, while the kids and tourists are hitting up Cafe d'Anvers, Cot and his posse are rolling off to Petrol, where the real live action takes place.
Photo of Cafe d'Anvers club kids after the jump.
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The Rough Guide to Brussels was our weapon of choice, during our June 2006 jaunt through Belgium. Sometimes these guide books get it right, and sometimes they are off. In this feature, we will tell you what the guide pros said about a place and then give you our take.
Drinking at De Herk Bar in Antwerp:
Rough Guides Says:
Tiny bar in ancient premises--down and alley and set around a courtyard. Twentysomething, modish clientele. Good range of beers and alles--including an excellent Lindemans Gueuze.
Jaunted Says:
Courtyard yes, tiny, sort of, as for the crowd, way off. Now we know crowds can change from night to night, but to us, the night we were there this looked like a place older couples headed to have a drink before a swank dinner. The crowd was thin, dressed to the nines, and almost completely coupled up. Alas, we ducked out before we could dig in to the beer selection.
Related Stories:
· Belgium Field Trip [Jaunted]
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