Mile 27: Indulging in Belgium!

The night before we got off in Antwerp, Belgium, we pulled up to the harbor and were greeted by a slew of people yelling and cheering. Apparently, only 5 or 6 cruise ships dock in Antwerp each year because it requires a trip up the Scheldt River. The crowd howled and hollered at us and we cheered back as well – such a great welcome! We were so close to the dock that we could talk with some of them over the edge. Very friendly.

Our first day in port was very sweet indeed. A group of us – Dani, Alex, Josh, Megan, Melissa and I – headed to the city for breakfast. But, once we got there, nothing was open. In fact, hardly anyone was around at all. We walked to the City Hall square area and then slid past some side streets to the Lady of our Cathedral. We had the city to ourselves. We grabbed some pastries and coffee at a corner shop just opening its doors (fresh baked goods!) and then decided to go see the much talked about Antwerp train station. The beautiful station was designed by Louis Delacenserie and remains a central attraction in the area. There was an eerie green light coming from the top of the staircase and it reminded me of the green light in The Great Gatsby. I decided it was a sign that someone was pining for someone somewhere out in the distance. We ran into some other SAS folks, chewed the fat a bit and then decided to go in search of a waffle, because, well, you have to in Belgium right?

The Belgium interport students had given a really nice (and hilarious) presentation the night before about Antwerp attractions and they specifically mentioned going to the Smallest Waffle Shop. The problem was, it was very small and thus hard to find. Our noses finally spotted it and we indulged in more sugar – this time of the chocolate variety. The waffle was made to order, by Dani’s new foreign boyfriend Caesar, and its soft pillow center was a deliciously stark contrast to the crispy and sugar glazed edges. Oh man. I’d move to Belgium for the waffles, they were seriously that good. Hopped up on sweets, we went back into the city center and stopped into the Rubenshuis, the former home of Peter Paul Rubens, a 17^th century Flemish Baroque painter. The home had dark creaky floors and really low doorways. The rooms were filled with the artwork of his and his contemporaries. I find it hard to imagine spaces where geniuses once worked, but in that house, I could really picture him creating such lovely artwork in the studio rooms and the courtyard.

 

Next, we bought some postcards (and chocolate bars!) and then decided to meet up with friends for a 1pm tour of the Lady of Our Cathedral. This 16^th century church’s one spire (the second one was never finished) is 400ft high and its 40 some bells vary in size. The 55 stain glass windows on the inside are really beautiful and the afternoon light shown through across the aisles in brilliant hues. The church was packed so we didn’t stay too long but it was really nice to see. We ran into a few more friends and wandered once again through the streets until we hit the smallest waffle shop again, and guess who had another waffle? How could I not!? I know none of you will believe me but, the plain one was better than the chocolate. We took silly photos, hopped into some open shops and went to a really good chocolate factory (Belgium chocolate anyone??).

Our final destination was the view from across the river, via the St. Anna pedestrian (and bicycle) tunnel. It was quite a long walk, and after traipsing through the city all day, not a very welcome one from my end (also the sugar buzz had warn off). But, the view of the MV Explorer in the evening light was really magical. The ship really felt like home to me in the distance, one place of familiarity achieved in such a short amount of time.

 

That night we made plans to have dinner near the church and about 15 of us sat right outside the Lady of Our Cathedral church in an outdoor restaurant and let the evening lights spark up around us. I was in Belgium sipping champagne and starring at 400-year-old architecture – damn. We laughed, toasted some passersby, snapped some group photos and then made our way back to the ship. Antwerp was very very sweet – and a pleasant surprise.