Angharad Dowse

Organized a walking tour In Antwerp last night.
It’s currently 5:20am and we have been awake for 2 hours. Getting pretty over this.
Extra over for the 2nd night in a row they turn the hot water off during the night so even at 7am couldn’t have a shower.

7:30 we went downstairs and bought the hotel breakfast vouchers for 9€ each. Pretty reasonable i think for what they offered - pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, muffins, ham, cheese, cucumber, cereal, juice, coffee etc.
We then dordled back to our room. So exhausted and the day hasn’t started. 😩

Off to Leuven first. Finding our train was less straight forward this time because there was a few delays so had to really pay attention to what train we were getting on.
It took about 30 mins to get there.
Beautiful, every single building.
I always get the giggles when I look at absolute stunning architecture and it’s being used as a Burger King.
Some dude was just in his little balcony with a cigarette and a croissant. Very movie like all it needed was a naked lady inside wrapped up in a sheet. Walked to the town hall **
Amazing. A bomb landed on it in WW2 but as luck would have it didn’t detonate so the building remains. Stunning.
We went into St Peters church which was nearby which was grand but not pretty. I have high standards now I’ve seen so many. Haha.
We then went to the main square which was wildly underwhelming as the picture of the square is why we chose to visit Leuven .
Just crappy day markets everywhere and obvs the trees where all bare so blah. Lots of old lady knickers for sale. And nana nighties.
And fish. Lots of fish 🤢
Found a cafe and had a hot chocolate. I turned my seat around because no one else in the cafe was facing each other, they were sitting side by side facing the markets watching so I turned around too lol.
The whipped cream they add is brilliant. Australia needs to adapt.

We are now on the train to Antwerp. We are going to skip Mechelen this time I think. It was the bottom of my list anyway.

Had time to kill so just strolled. Ended up in maccas because not particularly hungry so just got a cheeseburger. Will tummy not great so he used our only coinage to use the toilet there. I was busting for a wee but she refused my 20€ so had to hold and find somewhere else.
Bought a coke to get some change and then found a toilet.
What a joke.
Had to use my CARD to buy a ticket to operate the turnstile barriers to use the loo. 1€
I’m sure I mentioned last time I do believe this to be a human rights violation. Especially if you are going to get arrested for going in the street. What are the homeless meant to do? €1 to use a bathroom a few times a day is huge. Sorry no food money for you.
Anyways.
Walked in and found our meeting point for the tour.
Lovely square.
Originally disappointed with who we got as our guide. The other persons English was significantly better but in the end I actually really like her.
She started with info about the square. Good and bad history, a place for festivities and executions. they have one of their own mannequin pis and lots of guild houses around the square. Only 3 originals remain.

Next stop was the entrance to the sewer. Said it smells and has rats but is authentic. Said brewing started up when water was diseased. Horse got sick from water so they made an alcohol of some kind to give to the horses. Someone along the way thought it a terrific idea to try the horse drink and now it used for woman with periods as a helper.
2 dudes next to me physical recoiled at the mention of periods. Very funny to watch their discomfort. Hahah
She talked about the importance of Antwerp harbour and diamond industry. 80% of rough and 50% of smooth diamonds go through the harbour.
(Could be other way around)
We walked to a fort castle thing that was used as a jail. If you were rich you could pay to have the executioner sharpen their sword. The poor had a rough death..

One guild not in main square - butchers. Built on purpose to try look like bacon 😆
Built away for sanitation reason.

Walked down a bit and stood in a walkway
where 2 small wooden door were which is the last remaining puppet show stall. Very common back in the day, used to complain about politics.

Walked around a corner and stopped in another area where she pointed to Mary hanging on a corner.

Talked about legend of boy who shape shifts - best one was he change into a baby so he would be breast fed 😆😆😆
If you put Mary on your door or corner of street he couldn’t get you. That was the legend version.

Then talked about the downfall of Antwerp in the 1600 when the Spanish king* made the Protestants (who had all the money and intellect) leave and move north to Amsterdam which started the golden of Amsterdam in the 1700’s.
Mary on the corners was a symbol for catholic.

The same spot was were prostitutes use to hang out. They have been moved along recently and are now in the safest building in Antwerp. Has a police station, security like fingerprinting to get into rooms and an on scene nurse and doctor.
👏🏼👏🏼

Walk walk walk.
Showed us a decorative hole in the wall. Originally used to wipe horse poop off your shoes lol.

Own an alley to the oldest bar.
Then around the corner to a church and statue of Antwerps famous writer statue whose name I can’t remember haha.

Inside church was lovely.
Had a Reuben painting.

We walked past a rather ordinary building but she mentioned it’s important as it was Europe first skyscraper.
Saw Neuhaus chocolate house who claims to have invented the Belgian praline.
She was a skeptic of the story/claim.

Walk walk walk.
Another big square with a Ruben statue and another cathedral with one tower because it took to long (400 years) and they ran out of money.

Talked about Ruben a bit
He was an outrageous of the day “how do we say ah. Less is not more for Rubens” hahah

Went down BEAUTIUL Alley that twisted and turned - 10 families (shoemakers) with 8-12 kids each once lived here with one toilet. Fathers could earn more by ringing church bell.
Would have been the pits.
Now it is incredible with a real romantic vibe with vines and cobblestone bricks, flower pots etc.

She showed a fancy doorhole - it has grooves to help find the hole in the dark before electricity

She then asked to take a pic of us to prove she did the tour lol
I gave her 20€ - normally they mentiom at the start of the tour that it’s tip based - she didn’t do that and many were either unprepared or unwilling. Some have none some gave some coins.
It’s a 2 hour tour and she did a good job. Tut tut. give her something.

She gave us all a coffee flavoured sweet.
She needs more confidence but did a good job.
Along the way she showed up some pics from her book and explained some Belgium politics. She said it’s really complicated but it sounded pretty universal.
Not everyone agrees with each other and certain groups want certain things 🤷🏼‍♀️

To finish the tour we walked to other size of cathedral.
There is a Japanese story as famous as cindarella about a boy and dog and Ruben’s paintings that the government added a statue for the Japanese because tourists kept asking where it happened/is.
Was going to go in cathedral but costly so nope.
Walked back to station and currently on train.
Crashing hard.

Have officially confirmed we did not see what we went to see in Leuven. 😆😆😆😆
The fly impaled on the needed was a good substitute though haha

We went Hard Rock Cafe for dinner again. Not hungry but wanted veggies.

Decided to complain about our bedbug situation - got a new room and breakfast vouchers.

Crashed. Czytaj więcej