Antwerp

Woke up to grey skies and rain piddling down.  Did some interior boat cleaning while Ian went to a yacht chandlers to buy a UFO vent to replace the one above the galley.  When taking everything off the decks to paint he found that the old one, although still functioning well, was a bit long in the tooth with the plastic beginning to disintegrate and decided it was time to get a new one.

Afterwards, I did the "culture" thing and went for a walk through the old city.  I just love old buildings and architecture.  Took me two hours but unfortunately I forgot to take the camera!  This afternoon, Ian and I went for a walk together with camera so I do have some pics.  I took him back to some of the best bits I saw this morning, plus we did a different route along the canal and saw some extra sites.

Here comes the history lesson!

Het Steen

Het Steen is a medieval fortress in the old city centre of Antwerp which was built after the Viking incursions in the early Middle Ages, to control the access to the Scheldt River.

Around 650 AD the first fortifications of the Steen Castle were built in clay - nothing remains  from that period.  The first stone fortress was built in the 9th century and  is Antwerp's oldest building.  There are still some remains of walls from the 9th century.

Between 1200 and 1225 more fortifications are added, and again in the 16th century.

You can easily see the colour difference between the original Middle Age grey chalk stone and the 16th century lighter sand stone. It was used as a prison between 1303 and 1827.  

The largest part of the fortress, including dozens of historic houses and the oldest church of the city, was demolished in the 19th century when the quays were straightened to stop the silting up of the Scheldt.

St Pauluskerk

The exterior is mainly Gothic with a Baroque tower while the interior is characterised by rich Baroque decoration.  The church was taken into use in 1548 and completed in 1571.  During the following decades, the interior of the church was fitted out with Baroque furniture and decoration. The Antwerp sculptor Pieter Verbrugghen I and his workshop made the oak confessionals between 1658 and 1660. 

He also made the oak organ case in 1654. The 1658 organ is regarded as one of the most important organs of Belgium.

After significant damage due to religious wars, the rebuilding of the monastery was undertaken between 1605 and 1616 and reconstruction was completed in 1662.  In 18th century during a dispute between the Netherlands and Belgium the church was damaged and all the 17th century stained glass windows were destroyed.

The baroque portal on the angled corner of Veemarkt and Zwartzustersstraat dates from 1734.

Among the many works of art in the church are works by major artists such as the Antwerp painters Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, Jacob Jordaens, Cornelis de Vos, etc.  Too many to name and, to be honest I didn't recognise them!

The Calvary was constructed against the south side of the nave between 1697 and 1747.

It was created on the location of an ancient Dominican cemetery.

The statues are arranged into four groups: the angel path, which ascends to the Holy Sepulchre, the garden of the prophets on the left, the garden of the evangelists on the right and the Calvary itself, which consists of an elevated artificial rock, divided into three terraces, on which statues are placed with Christ on the cross at the top.

Vleeshuis

The slope on which the Vleeshuis (Meet House) is built used to be known as the Bloedberg or Blood Mountain.

The Butchers Guild built the first Vleeshuis near the cattle market, where the animals were slaughtered and cut, in the 13th century but the current Late-Gothic building was constructed between 1501 and 1504 and is the third Vleeshuis on the site. It is made of red brick and white sandstone. The bricks were fired onsite.  Alternating layers of stone and brick created a pattern known as "bacon layers".  Though the great hall of its interior bears a resemblance to a church, the stairwell towers and crow-stepped gables make it clear this was intended as a secular institution.  The interior is divided into two halves, each with a span of 7.5 metres —the maximum length of a structural oak beam. I loved the doors, they must be in the region of 12 foot high and at least 12 inches thick.

This area must have been heavily bombed in the war and the old is juxtaposed with the new.

I loved the old buildings.  Some look as if they are about to fall down with broken lintels and wavy rows of bricks.  I bet they have been like that for aeons.

On the square next to Het Steen there was a Tai-chi exhibition.  Well, I think it was tai-chi. We watched for a while but to me he just looked like he was surfing on dry land.

Red Light District:  Well, I wasn't expecting that!  On my first wanderings this morning, I happened to walk down a street with lots of scantily clad young (and not so young!) ladies standing in the shop windows.  I was the only woman on the street and there were lots of shady looking men.  I had to avert my eyes!  but I came back the same way.  Then walked through there and back again with Ian this afternoon, and again with Shaun and Lynn tonight.  I think they might be getting worried about me!  However, company gave me confidence and I was a lot braver at taking notice of what went on in the windows. Most of the girls were trying to look provocative, others chewing gum, smoking, texting, chatting on cell phones and looking decidedly unsexy. One girl sat there with her legs wide open and as we passed she patted her crotch. In another window there was a girl all kitted out in leather, pvc and bondage stuff with photos stuck in the window of decidedly Fifty Shades of Grey goings on.  And finally, there was a "shemale" (as advertised) in a pink bikini but with a pair of white underpants under the bikini bottoms to tuck the sausage and two potatoes into!  Didn't dare take photos.

So lots of walking today and I am feeling it!

Dinner tonight is a pasta/broccoli/mushroom/bacon thing - made up as I went along, also featured garlic and wine and cream to make it saucy.  Hmmmmm!