I’m not a big fan of souvenirs when I travel, with the exception of those I can fit on a memory card. I’m not much of a collector of stuff. Experiences are my thing, the world my oyster, which just happened to work in Jimmy’s favor during a recent visit to the “diamond capital of the world.”
Yes, I actually passed on a chance to visit Antwerp’s famed diamond district in favor of a walking tour (actually, two separate walking tours; one for food, one for the sights, so today’s post is a smorgasbord of cultural and culinary delights!) through the medieval streets of Belgium’s second largest city. That doesn’t mean I still didn’t come across a few gems deserving of your attention.
Yes, I actually passed on a chance to visit Antwerp’s famed diamond district in favor of a walking tour (actually, two separate walking tours; one for food, one for the sights, so today’s post is a smorgasbord of cultural and culinary delights!) through the medieval streets of Belgium’s second largest city. That doesn’t mean I still didn’t come across a few gems deserving of your attention.
A total of 14,009 seagoing ships called at the port of Antwerp in 2014.
This vessel (isn’t she a buxom beauty!) was parked behind the Vantage ship that carried us to Antwerp. As the second largest port in Europe, the Port of Antwerp has always played a pivotal role in the city’s history beginning with the Roman Empire.
The port of Antwerp handled 199,012,082 tonnes of freight in 2014,
Control of the Scheldt estuary connecting Antwerp to the North Sea, and ultimately to the world, was crucial for moving food and supplies for the Allied Forces into Europe during World War II. In the fall of 1944, the Battle of the Scheldt proved a successful but costly campaign for the Allied Forces, particularly the Canadian First Army and prompted heavy bombings of Antwerp by the Germans in an attempt to disrupt the supply chain. More V-2 ballistic missiles were fired at Antwerp than any other city during World War II. I hate when that happens!
Mythical charager Lange Wapper (as in whopper!) strikes a pose.
Originally made of clay and mud and part of a long wall of fortification around the city of Antwerp, the first stone fortress of Antwerp was built around 650 AD and used to control access to the Scheldt River. Hat Steen (Dutch for stone castle) got its current name around 1520 after significant rebuilding under Charles V. Between 1303 and 1827, the castle was used as a prison; today the castle is a shipping museum.
And now for the juicy pieces of history! Above the entrance to the Steen Castle gate is a relief of Semini, the Scandinavian God for youth and fertility. As the story goes (at least according to our Belgium guide), for ages female citizens of Antwerp would come to Het Steen to touch a well-endowed statue of Semini to ask for fertility and easy pregnancies; at least, until Jesuit priests chopped off the, ah, appendage, in the 17th century. Why'd they do that?
And now for the juicy pieces of history! Above the entrance to the Steen Castle gate is a relief of Semini, the Scandinavian God for youth and fertility. As the story goes (at least according to our Belgium guide), for ages female citizens of Antwerp would come to Het Steen to touch a well-endowed statue of Semini to ask for fertility and easy pregnancies; at least, until Jesuit priests chopped off the, ah, appendage, in the 17th century. Why'd they do that?
The giant statue in front of the Het Steen is that of Lange Wapper, a mythical creature in Flemish culture akin to our boogie man who likes terrifying children and drunks. Created in 1963 by Albert Poels, the white flag the day of our visit was apparently some kind of political statement that graced numerous statues around town. Good thing the Jesuit priests were nowhere to be found.
Bringing home the bacon since medieval times.
Affectionately known as Antwerp’s Bacon Building, a.k.a. the Vleeshuis Museum (Vleeshuis literally means Meat House), no one really knows if the 16th century architects commissioned to rebuild the earlier Butcher’s Hall, circa 1250, intentionally incorporated layers of white sandstone to suggest a slab of bacon or not. Perhaps that was their intention – to leave humanity chewing the fat when it came to the Butcher’s Hall. The now defunct Gothic gem is home to a museum dedicated to music, the City Sounds Museum.
These gingerbread houses looked like paper cutouts!
I never tire of Europe’s charming medieval squares; only Antwerp’s Grot Markt is not a square – it’s a triangle. But it was still lined with delicious gingerbread houses (the houses of the Guilds); offered a plethora of cute cafés and shops to insure a ready supply of tourists to entertain the locals absorbed in their favorite pastime, people watching;
So many choices! So little time!
and included the typical fountain and statue.
Brabo, going for the gold as he throws Druoon's hand into the crowd.
Meet Silvius Brabo, the Roman soldier, who according to legend severed the hand of the mythical giant Druoon Antigoon, who lived on the banks of the river Scheldt in ancient times. Druoon was prone to cutting off the hand of those sailors who refused to pay a toll for their passage on the river, at least until Brabo came along and saved the day, thus putting an end to the giant's extortion and giving Antwerp its name, which literally means "to throw a hand."
The beacon of light for centuries.
And speaking of giants, the Cathedral of Our Lady is one glittering gem inside and out.
Our cathedral visit was heavenly!
Construction of the Gothic Cathedral began in 1352 and took more than a century to complete. A turbulent past courtesy of the Middle Ages added substantial depth to her character. You can read more on this Gothic grand dame in an earlier post.
The alley was a tight squeeze during our walking tour; can't imagine the place 500 years ago.
Very little of medieval Antwerp actually remains despite the sense that time has stood still in this key port city of Europe. This tiny piece of the past, one of the oldest surviving sections of Antwerp, the cozy De Vlaeykensgang, was slated for demolition in the early 1960s to make way for a parking lot. Fortunately it was spared the wrecking ball (and thus Miley Cyrus!).
We emerged on this idyllic relic of the past (now painted white as per government regulations) via the Oude Koornmarkt 16 gate. Blink and you’ll miss it!
We emerged on this idyllic relic of the past (now painted white as per government regulations) via the Oude Koornmarkt 16 gate. Blink and you’ll miss it!
Sixteen is the magic number for time travel.
The warren of narrow alleys and passageways was built in 1591 and connected homes, small shops, and cafes for the working class, mostly shoemakers and their families packed in like sardines (a blatant suggestion of the smells often associated with life in a dinghy, medieval manor 400 years ago).
Our partners in cultural crime, good friends Joan and Jerry.
A true taste of Belgium culture (or any culture, for that matter) always requires hands on experience. We went whole hog (literally) via a cultural tradition called worstenbrood, a deliciously light puff pastry baked around a hefty piece of sausage. You don't say!
Alas, with Belgium known world-wide for her beer, chocolates, and waffles, only a smorgasbord would do. At the end of a perfect day, our cultural and culinary appetites satiated, we bid Antwerp and her most famous citizen, Pieter Paul Reubens (1577-1640), goodbye.
The Baroque painter strikes a pose.
My only souvenir – an extra pound or two, despite all the walking! Fortunately, airline weight restrictions are limited to just the luggage.
Perhaps I should rethink my views on souvenirs.
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