Chapter 1191 Antwerp

There are many cities in Europe that are full of artistic sense, but the city of Antwerp gave Xiao Peng a different feeling: the contrast between tradition and modernity here is particularly strong.

Xiao Peng originally thought Paris and London were shopping paradises, but upon arriving in Antwerp, he discovered it was even better! The streets were filled with designer shops, and the people's love and appreciation for design was beyond imagination!

The famous 'Antwerp Six' in the market circle were born here. Antwerp plays a vital role in the fashion circle. There is a block here full of high-quality clothing stores, antique shops and boutiques, which surpass Paris in both number and density!

Xiao Peng originally planned to buy a set of clothes to replace his bullet-pierced jacket, but it ended up being a shopping trip.

He finally understood why women loved shopping so much! This was indeed a good way to relieve stress, and he had already forgotten what happened last night.

Of course, this assumes you have enough money. These days, many young people spend relentlessly, even when they have no money, using credit cards and loans. Spending is fun, and the more you spend, the more you feel good! But when it comes time to pay it back, they end up crying out for help.

And there's something very interesting: when it comes time to pay back the money, some people act like victims...

This is really speechless: no one forced them to borrow money to consume, and they have enjoyed themselves generously when spending money, so how come they became victims?

Why is it so easy to borrow money at high interest rates? Even elementary school students know that there's no such thing as a free lunch!

Of course, Xiao Peng definitely didn't have to worry about money. He was having a great time buying things. If Walter hadn't reminded him that the game time was about to start, he would still be there "spending money"!

This can't be entirely blamed on Xiao Peng's lack of self-control. It's really because Antwerp is full of designers who have their own shops, and everyone loves beauty. Many of the clothes here are so beautiful that it's hard to control yourself.

This is true for men, let alone women.

Xiao Peng came to the conclusion: Antwerp is a place that people who have no money or poor self-control should not visit.

There is another fatal temptation for women here, and that is diamonds.

Antwerp is nicknamed the "Diamond Center of the World." Around 1456, a local jeweler invented two technological innovations that shaped diamond history: the use of diamond dust for polishing diamonds, and the use of a diamond grinding wheel he invented to facet diamonds, resulting in the optimal light-reflecting angles found in modern diamonds.

These two technologies have also attracted the attention of all diamond lovers in the world.

For over 500 years, this city has been a major hub for diamond processing and trading. Starting in the 16th century, Antwerp, thanks to its close ties with Portugal and Spain, began trading with the Far East. Antwerp's port was Europe's second-largest port at the time. Its convenient transportation and strong economic power further solidified its unshakable position as the king of the diamond trade.

80% of the planet's diamond trade now takes place here. Within a two-kilometer radius of the train station alone, there are over 1,700 diamond companies! 25 million carats of rough diamonds pass through here every year!

There's a song with interesting lyrics: "There are only two kinds of women in Antwerp: those who have bought diamonds and those who haven't." This is because diamonds are imported and exported duty-free here, so buying diamonds here is nearly half the price of buying diamonds elsewhere. Almost every woman who comes here buys diamonds.

Buying diamonds here? Get picked up and dropped off at the Hilton Hotel for free!

To buy diamonds here, you need to notify the jeweler two days in advance, tell them the size and color of the diamond you want, and then tell the jeweler your flight number. From the day you arrive here, the jeweler will pick you up and take you to choose diamonds.

While the customer has selected the diamond and is waiting for processing, the jeweler will take the customer to the Hilton Hotel to rest for free while waiting for the diamond to be processed and handed over to the customer.

Who could resist such excellent service? The natural response was, "Buy, buy, buy!" In short, this was definitely a place that would make you break the bank.

Xiao Peng finally stopped shopping, and two cars arrived at the destination of this trip: Antwerp Sports School.

Antwerp is a city that truly thrives on the "all-around development of sports, art, and labor." "Labor" refers to the economy, with the Port of Antwerp, a centuries-old port and the "world's diamond center." "Beauty" refers to the fact that it's one of the birthplaces of Baroque painting and the hometown of Rubens. It's also a cradle of outstanding fashion designers and architects, with the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts a "temple" in the hearts of countless young artists. And what about sports? It even hosted the Olympic Games! The 7th Olympic Games were held here in 1920!

The football level here is quite high: Belgian football is known as the "Red Devils of Europe," and Antwerp boasts several football clubs. Almost every national team has had players from Royal Antwerp. Dong Fangzhuo, a Daxia football player, was loaned to Antwerp from Manchester United and became the team's top scorer that season.

The Antwerp Sports School is the birthplace of countless young Belgians who began pursuing their sports dreams. This competition was held in the gymnasium of the Antwerp Sports School.

The first time Xiao Peng was struck by a building was the gymnasium of the Ampwit Sports School. The reason it struck Xiao Peng was not because of its height, but because of its uniqueness!

This gymnasium is actually a concrete military fortification from World War II! Due to years of disuse, moss and other vegetation have grown on the walls. Furthermore, the entire building is built on a slope, making it seem out of place in the surrounding area.

The Belgian architects were no exaggeration. They based their design on concrete military fortifications. A glass structure is suspended above the entire gymnasium, clearly reflecting the surrounding scenery: the concrete base at the bottom and the glass structure at the top form a contradiction, giving people a sense of material collision.

Xiao Peng and his friends parked their car in the parking lot in front of the sports school and then walked into the gymnasium - cars are not allowed to enter this school, and basically everyone rides bicycles. There were enough people riding bicycles in the Netherlands, but when they arrived in Belgium, they were surprised to see that there were even more people riding bicycles.

Xiao Peng and his friends walked nearly a kilometer after getting off the car before reaching the gymnasium, and the bustle here was beyond their imagination.

"Isn't this an amateur competition?" Xiao Peng was a little confused. "Why is the TV station's broadcast truck here?"

Not to mention the broadcasting vehicles, the line of spectators waiting to enter the gate is at least three hundred meters long!

Alas, he was even worried about whether he could get in on time!