Willebroek

Another grim night. Snorers & coughing frenzies you'd expect to be the chief culprits but annoying as they were it was the stifling heat. Warm as Antwerp was the hostel wasn't dealing well with it. Apparently it had an eco ventilation system - that's as may be but I wouldn't say it was effective. To top it off I got the breakie time wrong - forgot it was the weekend. Had 30 mins to kill. Heading out of Antwerp should be mellower on a Saturday morning. Hmmm. Less cars but much meaner cobbles - some demon stuff that was exclusively for the cycle lanes - nasty. Ended up cycling on the kerb stones for a hint of smooth. Disappointed with Boom - the place nothing explosively exciting to see. The next stop was to be challenging. A former SS prisoner of war camp. Interesting & harrowing at the same time. One in particular - a dwarf administrator who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Did nothing wrong. The uniform wouldn't fit - no allowances were made on parade. The commandant made a show of him by regularly calling this out, lifting him above his head & throwing him across the yard. The poor guy lasted a matter of days. Lots of grim stuff like that. Hard work but fascism can't be forgotten.Read more