Our last gathering with Kevin for a walking tour of Antwerp. When we get to Bruges, we will have Serge as our guide.
These are wooden escalators that were built around 1932. They lead to a pedestrian and bicycle tunnel that goes under the river to the other bank.
When the city imposed a tax on street lighting (candles), he citizens started putting up these statues with candles, and argued that the city shouldn't tax candles for Mary! They city said OK.
This is the Town Hall built in 1561, which fly 87 flags, mostly of the countries in the European Union.
These are called the gild houses with the gold figures on top. People with a craft were the only ones allowed to live here. Crafts such as carpenter etc.
The Cathedral of Our Lady, a Gothic style cathedral, was built from 1351 to 1521. It burned many times and was restored with the inside in the Baroque style. There was a fee to go inside, and since we've seen so many churches, we passed on this one!
This is a statue of the painter Rubens who moved here from Germany at the age of ten and purportedly painted over 3,000 paintings. It is said that his students painted many portraits with the exception of the faces and hands which Rubens would paint and then profit from.
These are Belgium fries. What we call french fries were invented in Belgium. During WWII, soldiers loved the fries and since the people spoke French here, they thought they were in France. Therefore, the soldiers named them French Fries! They are very good. You get your choice of about 15 sauces (if you can figure out what they are)!
No comments:
Post a Comment