Don't Call Them French Fries (Say the Belgians)

 Our first day out and about was spent in Antwerp, Belgium - Europe's second largest port (to Rotterdam which we'll visit soon), and home to about 2 M people from 157 countries and multiple cultures.  While the Roman Catholic faith dominates (at 50%) religious leanings, church attendance of all varieties has plummeted as is the case in many countries, including the US.

The largest city in Belgium, Antwerp is known as the "Diamond Capital of the World", although we didn't see any (other than shops) on our Sunday morning stroll.  Cheryl went to Mass at Our Lady, a magnificent church from the late 14th. century and, although the service was in Dutch (the predominant language spoken here), she said it was "magnificent" and she could easily follow along.

A view of Antwerp through the old city gate

The Cathedral of Our Lady was begun in 1352 and took 169 years to complete - all by hand without benefit of modern machinery. Among its many treasures are four large baroque paintings by Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens whose statue graces the public square. Today, Our Lady is as much of a tourist attraction (averaging 360,000 visitors annually) as it is a church for the shrinking religious population.

One of the most interesting sites came in the main public square where Brabo Fountain depicts a naked man throwing a giant severed hand.  A tribute to a mythical Roman soldier, Silvius Brabo, the legend says there was once a giant named Antigoon who built a fortress along the Scheldt River.  The giant forced passing boats to pay a toll as well as anyone crossing a nearby bridge.  If they refused, he cut off their hands and tossed them into the river,  Silvius Brabo took exception and in a duel cut off the giant's hand and threw it in the river.  The city was liberated and its name, "Antwerp", resulted and means "throwing hands".

Back to the boat for a nice lunch (I had a cheesburger and it was great) followed by a nap and then a wonderful lecture from a local college professor.  He briefed us on Belgium, its origins (captured and conquered by "everyone" as he put it), and current life including high taxes which is typical of a European country with social benefits galore.  On to dinner soon and then to bed to get ready for our overnight "sail" to Maastricht, The Netherlands.  More then.

PS - The Beligans are enormously proud of their heritage, although not particularly nationalistic (a breath of fresh air).  One of their heritages, though, are the waffles and fries, hence "don't call them French fries"!

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