Did you know that there is a Belgian apartment inside Buckingham Palace? Buckingham Palace is known as the administrative headquarters of the British monarchy. Although the immense palace was not Queen Elisabeth's favorite residence, it was her official residence. Some of the 775 rooms together form the Belgian Suite, an apartment where the Queen herself lived with Prince Philip. Her two youngest sons, Andrew and Edward were born there. Later she accommodated her most distinguished guests in the apartment, such as Barack Obama, George Bush senior and George Bush junior, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford. Picture by Pixabay The Belgian Suite is a reminder of the strong ties between the British and Belgian royal families that go back to the first Belgian King Leopold I. Even after his coronation as King of Belgium, Leopold I often visited Buckingham Palace to visit his beloved niece, Queen Victoria. He always stayed in the same apartment. Because the King of the Belgians stayed there
Kopstraatje, a small street between the Kammenstraat and the Nationalestraat in Antwerp, was known for years as the home base of taggers, drug users, and addicts. In September 2012, however, this changed when artists gave this notorious alleyway a great makeover during a three-day graffiti jam, an initiative of Sketchual consisting of volunteers from youth center Kavka. At the initiative of the Kop organization, the Artists Supporting Platform, the Kopstraatje was further embellished in the autumn of 2014 by the Brazilian Onio, assisted by illustrators El Neoray and Vagabundos. Picture by Fred Romero Do you want to see special graffiti art in Antwerp? Then this is the place to be. Free to visit, close to the city center and very near to the famous Fashion Museum.