Antwerp, Belgium

 Upon arriving on the ship, the 44 travelers are divided into 2 groups of 22, each with a Program Director.  Ours is the lovely Manuela from the Netherlands.  

 Everyone is tired after a long day of travel from the USA so after introductions and a nice dinner, we are off to bed.

The next morning we are rested and ready to discover Antwerp, located on the banks of the Scheide River.  It is Belgium's major port and has been commercially important in European trade since the eleventh century.

With Manuela as our guide, we start out on a walking tour of the Old Town of Antwerp.

First stop is outside of Het Steen, a fairytale-like medieval fortress located in the old city center of Antwerp, built by the Vikings in the early Middle Ages to serve as a stone fortress.

Outside the fortress is the statue of Lange Wapper, a Flemish folklore character. He is a legendary giant and trickster whose folk tales were told, especially in the city of Antwerp.

We walked through the streets with the medieval guild houses.  We appreciated doing the guided walks in the morning when there are few people on the streets.  Manuela always had a story to tell us about the history of the buildings. 

The Vleeshuis (Butchers Hall) is a former slaughterhouse. It is now a museum that houses a collection of musical instruments. . The slope of the street on the left of the building used to be known as the  "Blood Mountain".  I'm sure you can figure out why.

The medieval houses facing the large Grote Markt (Great Market Square) in the heart of the old city quarter.

The Town Hall (Standhuis) of Antwerp stands on the opposite side of Grote Markt. It was built between 1561 and 1565.

 

The statue in front of the building depicts how Antwerp got its name.

Legend has it that a giant named Druon Antigoon lived near the bridge over the river.  The giant would charge the people for using the bridge or else would cut off hands of people who either could not or refused to pay him.  Since this was hurting the town's economy, a Roman soldier named Silvius Brabo wanted to end the giant's tyranny.  He killed the giant and cut off the giant's hand and threw it in the river.

The statue in front of the City Hall captures the moment when the brave Brabo was about to throw away the giant’s hand. The name Antwerp came to mean the hand throwing committed by Brabo.

After hearing the story about the hand, Manuela led us over to a chocolate shop where we met the owner. 

She gave each of us a delicious chocolate hand to taste.

 

 

 

Next stop in the market was at a sausage shop where we were given a taste of frikandel, which is a traditional snack in Belgium. 

Frikandel is sort of a minced-meat hot dog blend of chicken, beef, pork (and sometimes horse) meats.  Terry gobbled his down before I could snap a photo.

As we walked through Grote Markt, there were several children playing a game similar to hockey.  This little girl has a garden tool tied on to the end of her stick to hit the ball.

Another statue, another story...this one is of Nello and Patroes, a little boy and his dog.

After Nello was wrongly accused of starting a fire in the village, he went to the cathedral on Christmas Eve to see his idol, Paul Rubens’s, paintings “Raising of the Cross” and the "Descent of the Cross.”  Nello and his dog stayed at the cathedral when they found the doors open. The next morning, the boy and his dog are discovered frozen to death under his favorite artist’s painting. 

We want to see those Ruben paintings also, so during our free time in the afternoon, we went to the Cathedral of our Lady.  Most of the church had scaffolding around it as it's being renovated so the outside was not great to look at.

But the inside was beautiful.  Everything stretches upwards toward heaven...about 90 feet.

Many of the stained glass windows are originals, having survived the centuries.

And here is our chance to see three huge Rubens paintings.

"Raising of the Cross", painted between 1610-1611.  The painting is the inner panel of a hinged altarpiece.  It was normally kept closed and opened to reveal the scene only on special occasions.

"The Assumption", painted in 1626, shows the moment that Mary was brought up to heaven.  Mary is the cathedral's namesake, so it is an important part of the Catholic church.

And finally, the "Descent from the Cross", painted between 1612-1614.

Paul Rubens (1577-1640) is one of the world's famous artists and called Antwerp his home.  The house he lived in is open for tourists.  It would have been nice to tour the house but in this pandemic time, timed-entry tickets purchased prior online is the requirement.  We decided against it and felt satisfied seeing the paintings in the cathedral...

...and the statue of Rubens in the Old Town.

We waited several minutes for the pigeon to leave the top of Ruben's head...and then gave up.

 

 

The fall colors on the trees are beautiful.

And we enjoyed walking around the historic town.

One of the things Belgium is famous for is its beer.

And Terry wanted to sample some...so with the recommendation of our Program Director, we found Elfe Gebod, which claims to be the oldest restaurant in Antwerp. 

The name means the “11th Commandment” in Dutch. The extra order from God, given to Antwerp exclusively, is quite simple and easy to follow: Thou shalt drink beer and enjoy thy life.

And that's what Terry is doing!

There is lots more to see while in Antwerp; but soon it was time to head back to the ship, as we would sail to our next port, Williamstad, Netherlands.

As we leave Antwerp, we sail by a most unusual looking building....the Antwerp Port Authority.  An impressive landmark for a city that has one of the busiest ports in the world.

To continue reading, scroll down and click "Newer Post" and I will tell you all about a day filled with windmills and flood control in a country that is below sea level.