Cassie's Series of Adventures: Belgium & Netherlands, part 3. Antwerp.

Goede middag, dames en heren!

Vandaag ga ik naar Anwerpen. In other words, we are moving forward and the time has come to visit Antwerp. 

Antwerpen Centraal Train Station 

I am not exaggerating when I say that I got bewitched with Antwerp after the very first sight. Namely, I came out of the train at Antwerpen-Centraal station and realised that what surrounds me is pure art. 

Here are some reasons why the train station is Antwerp is the best: 

1) Trains come and go from all different levels. If you stand in the middle, you would see them both above you and underneath you. 

2) The ceiling is made from glass.

3) There is a comics themed amusement park within (Com!cs Station).

4) A zoo also surrounds the station. 

5) You can spot architectural gems everywhere (see: photos). 

6) There is a moving staircase there that turns occasionally into moving pavement before coming back to being your moving staircase (I'm getting excited over really weird things). 

While on my way out of the station, I was still positively surprised by just how much is there going on in Anwerp when it comes to architecture. Unfortunately, a significant part of the city was under some construction when I was there which made it really frustrating and noisy to go from spot A to spot B but the charm was not completely spoiled! 

Het Steen (The Stone) Castle/ Fortress. This photo is not mine. Courtesy of Pinterest.

Even if you are not interested in visiting the Het Steen Castle (which I couldn't properly photograph due to construction works), I would stay it is still worth a walk. The fortress is just by the river and if you stroll along, you are going to experience some incredible views. One of my secrets - try a bridge. The lion statues there are mixed with kitten sculptures. Depending on the angle the view is either grand or cute. 

There was also this one special town square where along the wall there were these narratives painted (look down). I recognised one of them from a novel but most of them are still a mystery to me.

Antwerp is full of stories. If you know where to look for them. 

It is the main square of the city and therefore it is called, as you may recall from my Brussels post, Grote Markt. And yes, it does hosts Christmas market indeed (an ice rink is a part of this winter package). Another thing the main square includes is the view onto an impressively tall white cathedral (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal), a couple of charming guildhouses, a majestic town hall (Stadhuis) and a monument of Silvius Brabo, a mythical Roman soldier who killed a giant Druon Antigoon and threw his hand into the waters of river Scheldt. According to some sources, this urban legend explains the history behind the Antwerp's name with "antwerp" meaning an act of hand throwing.  

Grote Markt and Brabo. 

There too I encountered the first out of many of the city's references to Nello & Patrasche, main characters of A Dog of Flanders novel (published in 1872). It is perhaps due to the fact that the cathedral mentioned above has played its role within the novel alongside various paintings by Rubens (which can be seen inside that cathedral). As far as I know, it is a moving Christmas story, quite popular around the world (especially Japan), about an orphan boy (Nello) and an abandoned dog (Patrasche). The narrative revolves mainly around their friendship and various hardships. Visiting Antwerp inspired me and so the novel is now definitely on my reading list. I am however afraid the story does not end well for the two. I would love to see if something is arranged in homage to these two fictional characters around Christmas season, whether at Grote Markt or anywhere else in the city. 

Tist's Nello & Patrasche statue on the Handschoenmarkt.

P.S. I'm becoming a real street art connoisseur or at least an affectionate enthusiast. Antwerp offers many opportunities for such past-time, with some truly amazing street art creations, as well as the comic strips trails. 

 

Some comic strip walls: 

• Wolstraat: “Conscience” Jan Bosschaert

• Korte Riddersstraat:“Suske & Wiske/Bob & Bobette” Willy Vandersteen

• Eiermarkt:“Passage” Jan Van Der Veken

• Paradijsstraat:“Kiekeboe” Merho

• Keizerstraat:“Cordelia” Ilah

• Korte Nieuwstraat:“Laarmans” Dick Matena

• Leopold de Waelstraat:“Louis Armstrong” Philip Paquet

• Frans Halsplein:“Jommeke” Jef Nys

• De Oever:“Colourful parade” Brecht Evens

• De Kloosterstraat:“Nero” Marc Sleen

Slightly off the beaten track:

If you have more time in Antwerp or you don't mind a walk, I consider these places quite a good extension to the basic historic city centre experience.

• The Port House 
• Palace on the Meir 
• The Antwerp Whisperer 
• Middelheim Museum – open air/sculptures park 
• Rivierenhof Park 

Overall I felt like Antwerp was both a very artistic city and a city submerged in fiction. It was filled with painted walls, street art pieces, wonderful architecture and I definitely got a feeling it was trying to tell me many stories. Therefore, I will do more research and I will let you know if I manage to decifer some of the painted walls surrounding Grote Markt.

This is all for today. Tomorrow we are crossing the border and I am taking you to Rotterdam in Netherlands.

Yours,
A.