My city your city: Mechelen

Ine tapped me on the shoulder today with a new meme: mycityyourcity. Of course I still love Antwerp, but I've lived in Mechelen for 3 years now and I've grown to love it.
Here goes.

1. My favorite 'grab-a-bite': De Cirque (Vismarkt 8): also known as Frédéric's living room. When the sun shines, their terrace is by far the best place to watch the world go by. Plus they do great margueritas.
2. My favourite shops are all along the same street (walk from the Romboutstoren on the right hand side of IJzerenleen): the absolutely superior Vanderbeeck pastry and chocolates, the somewhat weird drug store 't Verguld Schaap, and finally the cheese paradise called Schockaert.
3. My favorite restaurant: tiny thai restaurant Lan Na Thai (Merodestraat 59); partly because it's just around the corner of where I live.
4. My favorite 'take my friends when in town': Klapgat (to go "boooo!"), Wollemarkt, Grote Markt, IJzerenleen, Vismarkt.
5. Other 5 things to mention: De Gouden Vis (my favourite bar, also at Vismarkt), Lamot congress and heritage centre (used to be a brewery), Sint-Janskerk (not just because I live in its vicarage, but because it combines a monumental Rubens masterpiece with 5 centuries of religious kitsch), and the Dodoens herb garden in the little Botanique park. Do you remember that violent tree from the Harry Potter movies? This park has one.

I'm passing this on to: Frédéric for Mechelen, eMich for Brussels, Polskaya for Antwerp, Corneel for Gent. Who for Leuven? UPDATE: Dikkie for Leuven!
Extra: If possible: tag your post mycityyourcity +the name of your city (see below) for technorati so everyone can track it.

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