Cycle tour of Antwerp

Took a guided city tour on bicycle 🚲 today. 3 hours but only 22 km. Lots of stopping and chatting, listening to the guide. Very interesting. Good to be back on the bike.

The guide said he had seen the tour group I'm joining in 2 days, ride out of town earlier.

Antwerp (Antwerpen in Dutch, Anvers in French; pop. 455,000, with suburbs 800,000) is the second largest city and municipality of Belgium, as well as the capital of the province of Antwerp.

The port of Antwerp is the most inland seaport and the second largest port in Europe, after Rotterdam. It's 80 km inland. One third of all Belgian exports transit through the Flemish city. Antwerp is also the world's second petrochemical port, after Houston in the USA. Half of the world's top 20 chemical companies have offices in Antwerp.

Antwerp is also the world's main centre for trading, cutting and polishing diamonds. 85% of the world's rough diamonds and half of the polished diamonds are negotiated in the city.

A legend says that the name 'Antwerp' comes from the Dutch "hand werpen" meaning "hand thrown".
The story has it that a mean and nasty giant controlled the river traffic, demanding exorbitant tolls. Those who refused to pay had one of their hand cut off.
But one day, a young and brave Roman soldier named Silvius Brabo managed to kill the giant. He cut the giant's hand and threw it in the Scheldt River, giving the city its name.

A hand has become the symbol of Antwerp. There are a couple of statues referenced to it.Leggi altro