The Savage Traveler: Tulip Time River Cruise Day 4

Tue. Apr. 8: I'm sitting by the window in the library on the boat writing about our day in Antwerp. The sun was in and out all day with occasional quick showers, a brisk wind, and much cooler temperatures only in the low fifties. We took a culinary walking tour of the old town, which is right where we are docked on the River Scheldt. This morning's guide was a true "Antwerpian" (we learned in the afternoon that to be considered such one must have both parents who were born in Antwerp, speak Flemish, and have a long, full moustache) named the Flemish version of Matthew but goes by the end of it pronounced sort of like Taz. He was a bit canned in his presentation but was still enjoyable. We started with a short walk along the quay and into town past the fortification built next to the river in the 1100s and later used as a prison, past the Red Mountain where the Butchers Guild slaughtered cattle and let the blood run down into the canals, and through the Old Wall, which has been partially preserved by incorporating it into newer buildings’ walls. Taz told us that the whole district had fallen into disrepair and so developers had bought and renovated buildings or built new buildings in their place and now it is the most expensive real estate in town. He took us to a tiny shop that used to be an ancient convent where we were served a big fluffy Belgian waffle with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. They were delicious! We walked on to the cathedral and visited a tiny chocolate shop where they have the iconic Antwerpse Handjes, which are the symbol of Antwerp. The legend holds that a giant ruled over the city and demanded a high tax of everyone who passed by. If the person couldn't pay, the giant would cut off their hand and throw it into the river. This continued until the hero, Brabo, cut off the giant's hand and threw it in the river, thus liberating the town. There are many statues around town paying tribute to Brabo and the hand shape is used on buildings, for chocolates, and cookies, everywhere. Many corners also have a statue of the Virgin Mary, patron saint of Antwerp. This is because lighting on the streets was prohibited for fear of fire spreading throughout town. To get around it, people put up the statues and hung a lantern with a candle, claiming it was not for street lighting but to honor Mary. The Grote Markt is in front of the cathedral and it is surrounded by beautifully decorated buildings that were Guild Houses, some built nearly four hundred years ago. On the ground floor of one we went to a pub to have the third treat of the morning, a local Belgian beer. Marv, Kris and I enjoyed a "bowl" (the glass looks more like a goldfish bowl and one never orders the beer by name, only by ordering a "bowl") of a dark beer, Lefe Double, and Heidi had their fruit beer that she said tasted like soda pop. It was so cold and blustery that after Taz gave us our bag of Handjes we made our way back to the boat to warm up and have a light lunch in the lounge, none of us desiring a full lunch after our culinary delights of the morning.

Castle turned prison on the quay beside the river.
Note the statue of the Giant--between and in front of his legs are
peasants about to lose a hand for failure to pay the tax.

Marv and Peggy about to enjoy their Belgian waffles

Brabo flinging the Giant's hand into the river

Belgian Waffle

City building with yet another statue of Brabo in front

Kris and Heidi enjoying their Belgian beers

At 1:15 Marv and I headed out with some trepidation to take a guided bike tour of Antwerp. We were worried about the cold wind and occasional rain on bikes but decided to give it a try. It turned out to be a great decision. Pieter and Hart were wonderful guides for the seven of us who were brave enough to ride. They took us on about a nine mile tour along the quay, through the Red Light district, the Spanish section, China Town, the Railroad Station that Newsweek named the fourth most beautiful in the world, the Diamond (also Jewish) district, through City Park, back to the river, down the giant elevator to one of three tunnels under the river (there are no bridges crossing the river at Antwerp), to the other side to look over the town, and back to our boat. In the process we learned more history about Antwerp and that it is the second largest port in the world, stretching along the river all the way to The Netherlands and the sea. Our tour took a couple of hours and was an easy and informative way to see Antwerp. Just as we turned in our bikes the skies opened up and it rained hard for a few minutes. We warmed up with hot chocolate and waited out the cloud burst then walked back to the Cathedral, which contains a number of significant paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, who lived in Antwerp from 1616 until his death in 1640. After dinner there was a violin, guitar, and cello concert in the Lounge from La Strada to entertain us until bedtime.