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Tues. 11/12
We are now in ANTWERP, BELGIUM, the second largest port in Europe (after Rotterdam). Here too, as elsewhere
in the low countries, we find the distinct gabled roofs on all the old buildings. The CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY
is a magnificent Gothic edifice begun in 1352. Miraculously, it escaped the heavy bombardment by V2 rockets
in WW II that destroyed much of the old town. The Town Hall and Guild houses are adorned with gold and line
GROTE MARKET SQUARE, which transposes you back in time to a prosperous medieval town.
ST. CAROLUS BORROMEAS CHURCH is a flamboyant Renaissance structure in which every surface inch is
marvelously decorated. The huge Rubens painting over the main altar alternates with 3 others (depending
on the liturgical season) by an ingenious system of pulleys that store the canvasses underground.
The MARITIME MUSEUM (a MUST stop) is located in a very old castle on the Rhine. These river castles were
useful in extracting tariffs from all passing ships in bygone days. It contains many beautiful ship models
of long ago design, and a good array of historic dioramas and implements having to do with the sea,
which is, after all, the lifeblood of this city. Fortunately, many of the inscriptions are in English.
A brisk walk along the windy waterfront prepared us for our final dinner aboard the Symphony.
Wed. 11/13
If it’s Wednesday, it must be Belgium. If it’s Belgium it must be rainy and windy. We said goodbye to
our riverboat in Antwerp and drove to the Flemish town of GHENT, founded around 600 AD at the confluence
of the SCHELDE and LEIE rivers. Once extremely wealthy from trade, this fiercely proud and rebellious
community has had numerous rulers, and bounced from prosperity to poverty again and again. “One upmanship”
has prompted the building of numerous exotic structures. ST. BAVO’S CATHEDRAL, with its magnificent artwork,
the BELFRY and City Hall are highlights of the medieval city center. We had strong 8 proof DUVEL beer
and Belgian fries (served Belgian style with mayo) at MAX Rstr. After an hour’s drive to BRUGES,
considered one of the most beautiful of European cities, we settled into the SOFITEL HOTEL and had
our neighborhood orientation walk. This evening, we dined al fresco in our hotel room on delicious
quiches warmed to order at a fine ‘deli’.
Thurs. 11/14
A marvelous breakfast at our hotel prepared us for a busy day. This is a marvelous city made for tourists.
Everything of interest is within easy walking distance, and everywhere you wander is historic, interesting
and attractive. The magnificent CHURCH OF OUR LADY, with its 122m high tower, houses the white marble
statue of the MADONNA AND CHILD by Michaelangelo among other priceless works of art. Huge ST.SAVIOR’S CATHEDRAL
is the oldest parish church in Bruges, dating back to the 12th Cent. We were given demonstrations of
chocolate and lace making in the various stores. Later, we toured the old brewery, STRAFFE HENDRIK, and
approved the 6 proof beer at a tasting. Atop the brewery is a wonderful view of the city.
The BEGUINAGE
is an enclosed compound of simple houses and chapel surrounding a common green once used to house Guild
members. No longer inhabited by the Beguines guild, it is now occupied by Benedictine sisters – a quiet
place of peace and tranquility. Our stroll also led us to the “Lake of Love’ – a wide portion of the
canal now principally occupied by swans. Tonight we celebrate our “goodbye” dinner at the gracious
TER BOEVERIE rstr. in our hotel. This was the first day since boarding our bateau over 2 weeks ago
that has been completely rainless.
Fri. 11/15
Another beautiful day! We enjoyed a small boat ride on
some of the canals that crisscross this “Venice of the North” viewing the lovely old buildings from another
perspective. We were fortunate to happen upon a mass being celebrated in the beautiful baroque
BASILICA OF THE HOLY BLOOD, purported to contain a relic of the holy blood of Jesus. This was a special
mass devoted to the relic, and we were able to venerate it afterwards, before it was transferred back to
the St. Basil’s Chapel beneath the main altar. The balance of the day was spent on foot revisiting in
detail many places only briefly touched on during our guided tour. We visited GRUUTHUSE MUSEUM, located
in the former palace of the Lords of GRUUTHUSE, memorializing daily life of the medieval bourgeoisie with
furniture, tapestries, ceramics and weaponry. It proved to be one of the most interesting museums we have
visited. This evening was our farewell get together to say good bye to our travel mates, especially Jack
and Lois.
Sat. 11/16
Time to return home. The day began with a relaxing breakfast at our hotel at a respectable hour to prepare
us for our Lufthansa Brussels-Munich-JFK flights home. A massive traffic jam on the 60 mi. trip from Bruge
to Brussels nearly caused us to miss our flight but we were fortunate to catch it with only minutes to spare.
After that, all went well.
Our trip overall was very good – interesting, pleasurable, well paced with knowledgeable guides and pleasant
companions. The minor glitches (high river water, changes in itineraries etc.) actually added to the
excitement. If anything, we became jaded by the many beautiful cathedrals, picturesque river towns with
crooked streets that had us lost time and time again, lovely scenery, endless vineyards, and too much
history to even begin to absorb. We traveled thru various cultures developed over years of wars, religious
upheavals, migrations. Sadly, a Europe awash in churches sees minimal religious observance.
And towns that have a wonderful medieval flavor sometimes permit ugly modern artwork and buildings to be
erected in their midst, all in the cause of money. The cities may have much to offer in the way of
culture and places of interest, but are, after all, just cities, with their inevitable traffic, noise
and crowds. I truly prefer the small towns and countrysides.
Back to start of Rhine River Cruise...
This trip to the Rhine River was made October 31 - November 16, 2002 by a New York State couple.
Your comments are welcome.
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