CRUISING THE RHINE AND MOSEL RIVERS

This is the 13^th in a series of articles about cruising the Rhine and Mosel Rivers

OUR FINAL PORT: ANTWERP, BELGIUM

By Charles N. Stevens

Photos by Dolores Seidman

Our first look outside this morning reveals a brick plaza, sparsely planted with trees. The lighted windows of a bus pass by, and floodlights illuminate what appears to be a church standing alone in the darkness. A pale moon glows through wispy clouds.

After a full breakfast we begin a walking tour of Antwerp, a cool wind blowing out of a cloud-flecked sky. Nearby , ocean-going ships are docked at the harbor, ready to load or unload near giant cranes, the bay  being connected to the North Sea. We notice that our own docked boat rises and falls dramatically with the tide.                                                                                                                                                                   As we walk, our guide informs us that Belgium has only been a country since 1831 and that Dutch, French and a little German are spoken here, Flemish being the official language. While walking we look up at the massive Congo Building, the Congo at one time being their colony, a source of great income, especially from rubber. The Congo is now called Zaire, and is free of Belgian rule.

We stroll along the abandoned portions of the port where corroded metal roofs shade old railroad tracks that lead to nowhere. The space is now used for a parking lot. We come upon what looks like a real castle, its use now questionable. Turning toward the Market Square, nearly empty at this time of the day, we look upon a copper-green fountain shooting water in all directions. We gape at the1864 town hall featuring an alcove with a Madonna inside, as well as statues representing the common people. Gold rampant lions grace its front. All the buildings around the square are many stories tall and thin with an abundance of windows, each building abutting the other. Gold statues at their very top represent the various guilds that once had so much power that they challenged royal authority.

Church bells sound as we stand in front of the very ornate Flemish gothic cathedral. One small street branching off from the square is called Handschoen Street, translated as “hand shoes” where the shops specialize in selling gloves and mittens. We then come upon the statue of Peter Paul Rubens, the famous Flemish painter of the baroque period. Not far away is another small monument to Nello and his Dog. In the fictional story written by a French woman, Nello, a poor boy, traveled each day into Antwerp with his dog Patrasche to sell his milk for his grandfather. He and his dog finally died, frozen to death, in front of the Cathedral of our Lady where the memorial plaque is today. The story is well known in Japan and Korea, nearly every child having read the story. Japanese tourists today especially want to see this monument, some openly weeping in front of it.

We wander by chocolate shops that seem to be everywhere. One shop sells hundreds of beer brands, the bottles all lined up on the shelves like colorful ranks of soldiers. From here we turn into an ancient street of cobblestones and 15^th to 18^th century houses where at one time children played in streets littered with trash and discarded toilet residue. But now the area is spruced up and very attractive with fine restaurants and shops.

We had to walk a long way to find the former home of Peter Paul Rubens, a multi-story brick “mansion” that must have been one of the finest in Antwerp. Tours of the home are offered, but time restraints prevent our seeing it.

Continuing our walk, we enter one of the most amazing malls, its ceilings and walls gilded with intricate patterns like a baroque palace. The shops inside, however, are as modern as we would see anywhere. From here we wander on to the cavernous railway station. After riding an escalator to the second floor we enter a gigantic glassed arch beneath which ultramodern trains, streamlined and glistening, wait on a multitude of tracks. I wished I could have taken a ride on one.

Thank goodness for McDonald’s that generally allows tourists to use their restrooms as none others are available.

As we stroll back toward our boat, we look around us, seeing what we can see. A frites (French fry) shop features a huge cone outside with gigantic French fries protruding from it. Pausing at a Belgian waffle shop, we watch the owner applying dough to a large waffle grill while serving others hot waffles topped with jam or whipped cream. The man was doing a brisk business. The waffles were quite tempting, but we were on our way to lunch on the boat. We notice many Muslim women and men as well as blacks from Africa among others on the crowded sidewalks. Teenagers just released from school, acting in their normal raucous way, frolic on the sidewalks, a few lighting up cigarettes.

Back on the boat, after lunch, we plan to walk back into town, but the skies cloud up quickly and rain begins beating against our cabin windows. The harbor dissolves in mist as a barge plows through the wind-whipped choppy water. Seagulls fight the wind. We decide to stay within the comfort of our cabin. This would be our final day, the end of a wonderful trip. We are to leave before dawn tomorrow to catch our flight home.

"All the buildings around the square are tall and thin with many windows, each building abutting the other."

"One shop sells hundreds of beer brands, the bottles all lined up on the shelves like colorful ranks of soldiers."

"We then come upon the statue of Peter Paul Rubens, the famous Flemish painter of the baroque period."

"A frites (French fry) shop features a huge cone outside with gigantic French fries protruding from it."

"Pausing at a Belgian waffle shop, we watch the owner slapping dough on a large grill while serving others hot waffles topped with jam or whipped cream."

MONTEREY PARK AUTHOR PUBLISHES 4th BOOK – Seeking More of the Sky: Growing Up in the l930’s:

Charles “Norm” Stevens, a 43 year resident of Monterey Park has recently published his 4th book: Seeking More of the Sky: Growing Up in the l930’s. This is the story of a young boy growing up in Inglewood, California in the l930’s. This was a time during the depression when unemployment was affecting many and the banks were closed, while the clouds of war were gathering in Europe. But he was lucky enough to be raised in a loving family, the power of that love reflected throughout his stories.

Stevens is the author of three previous books about his experiences during WWII:

An Innocent at Polebrook: A Memoir of an 8th Air Force Bombardier (Story of his 34 bombing missions from his base at Polebrook, England over Germany and France)

The Innocent Cadet: Becoming A World War II Bombardier (A prequel to the first, telling of his training in the U.S. before going overseas into combat.)

Back from Combat: A WWII Bombardier Faces His Military Future from Combat: (This book details the time from when he returned from combat in England until the end of the war.)

He is known to the readers of The Citizen’s Voice as the author of Travel Log Articles including “Cruising the Rhine and Mosel”,” Best of the West”, “In Search of Snow” ,  “From Paris to Normandy on the Seine”, and “Exploring New York”.  He is retired, having taught for 32 years, primarily in the Montebello Unified School District.

Those interested in purchasing an autographed copy of any of his books, may contact the author at 323-721-8230 or  Normstevens24@gmail.com.