Antwerp 11-15 June We stayed at the Jachthaven at Antwerp. Friends from the DBA Tom and Liza from Daffodil had a permanent mooring there and other friends Sid and Jan on Sherbourne arrived while we were there, so we had quite a social time during our stay in Antwerp. The Jachthaven is in a great spot close to the inner city. On our first morning (Tuesday) we went for a walking tour around the city. It was very entertaining and the guide gave our sweets if you guessed the right answer to one of his questions. At the end of the tour the person with the most sweets (or sweet wrappers) won - that was me with 3. One of the things he pointed out to us was the madonnas, usually on a street corner and usually with a street light. The Virgin Mary is the patron saint of the city, and, back in the day, the city would fund a street light if there was a statue of the virgin mary, so there are many of them. Here are a few. We also learned about a children's book character, who snuck into the Cathedral to see a Reuben's masterpiece, and ended up freezing to death with his faithful dog. On Wednesday we went to the MAS museum, which was at the end of the marina, which had an interesting and eclectic mix of exhibits. Just the thing for a rainy day. Then in the evening we had Tom and Liza from Daffodil over for dinner which was very pleasant. Thursday morning we took a bike ride to the chandlery to the north of the town, and past some interesting landmarks, including the lock that we would leave by. After lunch we visited the cathedral, which was more impressive than I had expected with some new and old art works. including three Reubens. After a quick coffee, we went to see the station, considered one of the most beautiful in the world. I then went to the top of the MAS tower for the view. In the evening we had Sid and Jan from Sherbourne and their guests John and Bev over for drinks. Tom also dropped by for a while. After they left we went for a walk around town. The walk was a little longer than we expected as we lost our sense of direction and found our selves heading south when we should have been heading north to get home. Friday on the way to Rueben's house we passed some nice buildings. We went to the Reuben's house. He was quite a wealthy man and the house was lovely, with an interesting collection of art. On Friday afternoon, friends Marg and Adrian arrived from NZ to spend a week with us. After a visit to the top pf the MAS we went into town to see the Grote Markt and the cathedral, and then had dinner in town. Mussels yum. Saturday morning we left Antwerp. It had been a very sociable time for us, with friends dropping by the boat quite a lot, as we were moored right next to the exit gate. And the mooring was in a great location for exploring the city, and visiting hardware stores etc. As well as looking around we got a few more jobs done on the boat itself. So farewell to Antwerp. Lisa and Tom on Daffodil Antwerp Havenhuis
1 Comment
Richard Switzky
18/6/2019 08:03:15 pm
As always, fabulous photos. Thanks for sharing these great adventures!
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