Hey Steemians, happy weekend! 😃 Here’s my entry for #smartphonephotography. I shot this photo 3 years ago with my iPhone4 at Groenplaats (green place) in Antwerp, Belgium, a lovely port city best known for its design and diamonds. (Sometimes ignored by tourists who only go to Brussels and Brugge,) Antwerp, as well as Gent and Leuven, are my favorite places in the Flemish part of Belgium, all with a strong artisanal heritage and cultural legacy.
各位周末好！这张照片是我3年前用手机在比利时安特卫普的Groenplaats（绿色广场）拍的。虽然在欧洲是挺有名的历史文化名城，安特卫普却常常被不少游客忽略。就像很多人到欧洲旅行会去南边的法国、北边的荷兰、东边的德国、西边的英国，却不会在比利时这个小国停留，就算勉强拨出几天路过比利时，一般也只会一日游去一下首都布鲁塞尔和水城布鲁日。而事实上，安特卫普和根特这两座北方弗莱芒的城市却是大有看头呢。
Groenplaats is a small square in the center of Antwerp’s historic district. It’s neither very green nor a square until 18th century. It was a cemetery next to the Cathedral of Our Lady, and it was converted into a square during the Austrian occupation. Today locals still call the square ‘green cemetery’.
绿色广场是安特卫普老城区中心的一个小广场。这里既没有很绿也曾经不是广场。18世纪之前，这儿其实是大教堂旁边的墓地。奥地利占领期间被改建为广场。但直到今天当地的人们还是沿用旧名，称呼它为“绿色墓地”。
It’s a popular place for tourists as well as locals to relax. On sunny summer days, I love to sit on the bench here reading a book, or to meet friends at the terrace of one of the cozy cafés bordering the square. You can also try the specialty beers and famous Belgian fries 🍺 🍟 (each of them is a national pride of Belgium, as well as the awesome chocolates, though most Belgians don’t have a national identity due to the complicated situation - this deserves another 100 posts at least, ; ) so I won’t ramble on here today).
这个广场四周有不少咖啡馆啤酒吧，又地处有名的天主教大教堂旁边，所以游客和当地人都很喜欢在这里休闲放松。如果你来这里玩，记得去试试比利时特产的啤酒和薯条。啤酒有几千种，薯条也绝对不是French fries（比利时人认为英语里的称呼法国薯条是个误会，其实是他们南部说法语的瓦隆人发明的），就像如果你说瑞士的巧克力是最好的，比利时人肯定跟你急。由于复杂的历史地理政治文化因素，比利时人并没有多少爱国情怀（如果继续展开，我还可以写很多怕打不住，这里就先到此为止），但有那么几样东西他们还是很引以为豪的。
夏天天气晴好的时候，我喜欢坐在广场的长凳上看看书，长凳旁边就有那种公益图书箱，里面的书籍供人随时取阅，只是多数是荷兰语书，看着太费力。也有法语书，同样不会省力多少。本来在既非母语又非英语的国家生活就不容易，如果再碰上比利时，瑞士，卢森堡之类的多语种小国，要么买块豆腐撞死，要么就在学习各种语言的深渊中苦苦挣扎吧，苦中作乐，也就能自得其乐了。
From the picture, behind the twinkling lights, you can see the bronze statue of the famous painter, Pieter Paul Rubens, who lived in Antwerp from 1587 until his death in 1640. Rubens is well-known for his dramatic Baroque paintings displayed all over the world.
扯得有点远了，回到照片中来：那些漂亮的灯饰后面有座鲁本斯的青铜塑像（睁大眼睛仔细看哦 - 老古董手机夜晚拍摄效果不好，只能隐约可见），这位著名画家的巴洛克名作遍布世界各地的教堂、画廊、博物馆，他从1587年开始居住在安特卫普，直到1640年去世。
The background in the picture is the Cathedral of Our Lady, a beautiful Roman Catholic cathedral whose tall bell tower can be seen from many corners of the city.
照片背景的罗马天主教圣母大教堂是安特卫普的地标之一，在全城的很多地方都能瞥见它高耸的钟楼尖顶。
If it’s a beautiful sunny day, it’s very pleasant to walk around the city, taking in the beauty of art and architecture, getting inspired in plenty of design and fashion shops, savoring the gastronomical delights… But if you happen to visit Antwerp during bad weather, it might be interesting to try the tourist tram starting from Groenplaats. The tram offers a ride along some of Antwerp’s most interesting sights.
安特卫普城市不大，步行可以到达主要景点，那些颇具特色的设计小店、博物馆、咖啡馆、二手古着店等也很适合闲逛。但是假如你来安特卫普玩的时候恰好赶上常见的阴雨天或严寒天气（西北欧也不会有酷暑天），可以考虑去绿色广场坐旅游电车，会一路把你送到市区各个有意思的景点。
呵呵，原本只是发张手机照片参加下摄影活动，没想到一个小广场也扯了这么多，看来是真爱啊。=)
!steemitworldmap 51.217973 lat 4.402814 long Groenplaats Antwerp d3scr
This page is synchronized from the post: ‘#17 Come Discover with Me the Beauty of Groenplaats in Antwerp 🇧🇪 钻石城的绿色广场原来竟是座墓场？’