Antwerp

During one visit to Antwerp we found the campsite was closed for the season, but the Antwerp Youth Hostel was open. We spend the night in an upper and lower bunk, for $8 with breakfast. The doors closed at 11:00, music at 7:00 AM, breakfast at 8:00, and we left by 8:30. Beds were hard, the room was stuffy, we were near the freeway traffic noise. The camper just proves to be better and better, each time we try something else.

We visited the beautiful home of the painter, Peter Paul Rubens. His parents were from Antwerp, he was born in Germany, returned here when he was 10, and he died in 1640. While visiting the Gothic Cathedral in Perugia, Italy, Rubens studied Baroccio’s “Descent from the Cross,” then returned to Antwerp, and in 1611 created his own work, “The Descent from the Cross,” for the Our Lady’s Cathedral. “Elevation of the Cross” by Rubens, is also on display in this Cathedral.

During one visit Antwerp’s Cathedral (started in 1352, completed in 1521) was in the process of being cleaned on the inside. The architecture of the seven-aisled church was restored to its full splendor, during twenty years of restoration work. Outside, multi-storied buildings were built up against the Cathedral, hiding the lower part of the building.

We luckily found a parking place near an antique auction. Emmy saw a couple of things she wanted to bid on, if she only had even a little idea what the Antwerp auctioneer was saying.

A man suggested we visit the printing museum next door, and we found it interesting. It’s called “Plantin-Moretus Museum,” a 16th century printing works. They have one of the thirteen copies of the Guttenberg Bible.

At McDonald’s, a lady at the restroom door collected a small sum of money. Is that system meant to keep the restrooms clean, or old women employed? Whichever, it does both.

At the harbor we tried to find a ship that could take the camper and us home on the same ship, at the end of this trip. The camper alone would cost about $2500 to ship to Los Angeles, and $400 less to New York. But no one knew of a ship that has room for us on the same ship with the camper.

Later we found the TSS Stefan Batory, which sailed from Rotterdam, would take the RV and us, at a lower cost. Perfect!