Photos : Antwerp
Diamond city
Another weekend and another opportunity to travel….well at least that’s how we see it. Flimsy excuse but an excuse nonetheless.
In Belgium there are 3 regions and within the province of Flanders is the capital Antwerp, located on the right bank of the river Scheldt. All the cities we’ve visited in Belgium are beautiful, clean and have good beer….Antwerp was no exception.
When many people hear Antwerp they think diamonds. It’s true and can be a nightmare for many men 🙂 What people don’t often realise is only a few years ago, the port of Antwerp was in the top 20 largest port (by tonnage) in the world in 2005. So what you say? Well it’s a useless bit of trivia that you can store in the back of your mind sure to never recall! Oh yeah….those diamond things, huge business here and supposedly not that many ‘blood diamonds’ in the stores. Who knows? But yes they look sparkly and girls ‘ooooh’ and ‘ahhh’ over them. Inside almost every man has the thought ‘RUN!’. I was expecting to see sparkly pieces of stone on each corner but luckily this wasn’t the case.
I’m too sexy for this shirt
I’m too sexy for this shirt….well that seems to be a theme here. Fashion stores are in plague proportion. Again this is not the average man’s idea of an afternoon well spent however if you’re name’s Scott then things could be different. We left him alone for 60 minutes and he bought enough shirts for the Walton’s!
In Antwerp there’s a name for the fashion plague or at least the starting point called ‘The Antwerp Six’ referring to influential innovative fashion designers who graduated between 1980 and 1981 from from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts. I had no clue (still don’t) about the designers but looking at some of the names, The Antwerp Six is easier then their names :
- Dirk Bikkembergs
- Ann Demeulemeester
- Walter Van Beirendonck
- Dries van Noten
- Dirk Van Saene
- Marina Yee
Richies to the right
I suppose Antwerp could be considered sentimental or maybe just smart. It’s retained some the quays along the river Scheldt and preserved in close to the original form i.e. the bluestone quays are still in tact but the quays are mainly for tourist ships. We meandered to the quay on our way to lunch but it wasn’t terribly exciting but there’s a castle there called Het Steen. The castle allowed controlling access to the river that flows through Antwerp call the Schelde. Leading a double life, the castle was was also used as a prison between 1303 and 1827. Well OK it wasn’t quite a prison it was more of a holding place when you were awaiting sentencing. Money talks too…in this case the rich had the right wing and poor the left.
Crazy music machines
In a ‘duelling banjos’ type scenario, at each square or communal meeting area there are mechanical organs that are the size of a truck (in some cases) blaring music. The music is programmed by paper sheets and then played by the machine itself. I would have expected the city banned these machines as noise pollution or public nuisance however a large number of people seemed to actually enjoy or the music. People sit in front but I’m not sure why. The owners have CD’s for sale too and what’s more surprising actually sold some!! To my astonishment there a organ-isations (get it?) throughout the world that have get together’s and even international trips. My apologies to any of you that are in such an organisation, but you’re a freak (meant in the nicest possible way).
When you’ve had enough of doing not very much there’s always eating
The food, as most places in Belgium, is great as long as you avoid the ‘tourist’ traps. Then of course there’s the beer…Homer Simpson would be in Heaven, as long as the label was changed to ‘Duff’. The trappist beers are strong and flavourful (may be an acquired taste). So you essentially combine, lovely rich food with chocolate with ice cream and beer….sounds like a recipe for spending money but I look at as an investment. Don’t ask me what I’m investing in as I’ve no clue what I’m saying.
I really enjoyed the filet of fine Maline chicken wrapped in Ganda ham and filled with Nobashi scampi and shiitake, served with a deep-fried potato lollipop and tarragon sauce at Appelmans. For a selection of 450 beers and a great place to chill out Kulminator gets my vote. The beers range from about 5% to 12% with many over 15 years old!