Hand Across The Water

August 03, 2026

Hand Across the Water

Yesterday there was no fanfare or indication when we crossed the border into Belgium. We just did at some point. When we met the boat in Antwerpen it was the only night we didn't eat on the ship. We were free to wander and choose our own restaurant. We three couldn't resist these treats when we saw them being served while walking by a cafe. After stuffing ourselves we strolled along the riverside back to Magnifique to rest our bones.

The next morning, we cycled into the city centre and were free to wander for several hours. Antwerpen is a coin with two very different sides - it is the second largest seaport in Europe and therefore very industrial along the river; it is also a diamond industry and avant-garde fashion hub.

In the Grote Markt Square is a statue of the city's legendary founder Silvias Bravo. He is depicted throwing the hand he severed from the giant that terrorized the town into the Scheldt River, thus saving the citizens from tyranny. Michael thought the water spouting from the hand should be coloured with red dye to be more realistic. 😦 The word Antwerpen literally means "hand throwing". There are hands all over the city - on the sidewalks and a number of buildings. The Bonapartedok Building (named after you know who) is a museum and lookout. The small flecks on the reddish facing are all hands.

On our last night on the boat there was a trivia contest using knowledge we gained on the tour. Anita and I teamed with a couple from Leipzig and edged out three other teams to win by one point. My prize was this hand, a reminder of Antwerpen.

The buildings in the main square are most impressive.

Each medieval guild had a separate business space, seven shown here.

The main cathedral is massive; inside the symbols and architecture are somewhat overwhelming.

A triptych of The Descent From The Cross, painted by Peter Paul Reubens. A matching The Elevation Of The Cross graces the other side of the church.

This sculpture depicts the famous fictional story of a beggar boy orphaned at two, and his dog. They were homeless, hungry and cold. Illiterate, he develops an astounding ability to draw. He longs to see the Reuben's paintings in the cathedral but only paying customers are allowed. Nello is deemed unworthy of sanctuary in the church. He sneaks in one night to realize his dream, but the next morning he and the dog are found dead of hypothermia.

The group that were cycling the short route were whisked off on a water taxi to join us later. The rest of us cycled from the Het Steen castle to an underwater tunnel across the Scheldt. An elevator descended 35 metres below the river's surface. Consider this - the highest point in the Netherlands is 322.5 metres. Then we travelled 600 metres under the river and pressed the UP button to get back on "real" land.

Our lunch spot was at Kruibeke-Bazel castle where we met our short route mates. It's a private residence.

A Quebecois lady runs a pub/brewery nearby and lives here for the tourist season. She talked me into a Jefke beer because this is the only spot in the world it's sold. Jefke is her father-in-law. He is the brewer. It was the best beer I tasted in Belgium. 👌

Near the end of our journey we visited a spot that in one sense didn't seem to fit in with the medieval village vibe, but in fact was steeped in antiquity. A local fossil hound visits Africa each year where he pays locals to find fossilized objects. Ammonites, trilobites and larger specimens are millions of years old He displays them in his house. Some ARE the walls of his house. The staircase has been built on the back of some huge fossil.