Bram and Anke from Antwerp win trip worth 10,000 euros with GVA competition: “Japan has been at the top of my bucket list for years” (Antwerp)

A very happy winner Bram Thielemans with his girlfriend Anke Verdoodt. — © Joris Herregods

Bram Thielemans lives near the cathedral in Antwerp and is the lucky winner of the Japan competition Gazette of Antwerp. He wins a trip to the land of the rising sun worth 10,000 euros. “My girlfriend and I didn’t sleep a wink because we were so excited about the good news.”

Bram and his girlfriend Anke Verdoodt have wanted to visit a distant country for a long time, but unfortunately that has not yet happened due to the high cost. “We are young Antwerp residents who also want a nice place to live and that costs a lot of money. That’s why unfortunately there isn’t much left to travel. But thanks to the match of Gazette of Antwerp Now you can and that’s fantastic. We were both so excited that we didn’t sleep a wink last night,” says Bram.

When he saw that Gazette of Antwerp organized the ‘Japan is under the spell of Antwerp’ competition where you had to recognize BVs in Japanese manga characters, he immediately decided to go for it. “A trip to Japan has been at the top of my bucket list for a long time. That’s why I told my girlfriend that we had to participate in the competition every day. In the end we each participated five times, so ten times in total. We really thought and calculated very carefully during the selection questions. With results, as it turns out.”

READ ALSO. Japanese get married in replica of Antwerp cathedral: “As a princess in the decor of Nello and Patrasche”

Bram and his girlfriend. “We would like to see Tokyo and Mount Fuji. And of course the replicas of the cathedral should not be missed.” — © Joris Herregods

The couple already knows which sights should not be missed during their trip. “Before I entered the competition, I had never heard of the Japanese replicas of the Antwerp cathedral. But the city of Antwerp is very important in our lives. That’s why I definitely want to visit those replicas during our Japan trip. We also really want to climb Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in the country. And of course a visit to the capital Tokyo should not be missed,” Bram sums up.

“I could hardly believe it when I got the good news. I’ve been trying to win a competition for years, but I haven’t been able to do so until now. We have wanted to visit Japan for a long time, but the cost of a trip to the Asian country really put us off. Of course, with a budget of 10,000 euros you can go far,” Bram grins.

READ ALSO. IN PICTURE. Watch the GVA projection on the Antwerp cathedral here and discover how you can win a trip to Japan