Ghent/Antwerp

Ghent Longhouse

Ghent Canal on Skelt River

Stateroom

May 28, 2011- More Tales

Everything's up to date in river city now. We're on The Rhapsody on the Skeld River in Antwerp and they just got Wi-Fi this season. It won't work until we leave Antwerp tomorrow due to a local problem.

To add to yesterday's stories, Dewi told us about the origin of the 150 swans in Bruges canals. There must always be 150, no more no less. It has to do with a fable involving Zeus & his mistress. I lost the thread somewhere in the telling. Swans are delicate and don't over-breed so adding to the flock rather than culling is the rule. The story is that the Jews of Bruges raised swans for food. When they stopped eating them (she didn't know why) they let the ones they had loose.

We learned that Belgium is the size of Maryland and has ten million people. King Leopold I was the first king after it gained independence in 1830. He was a German who was raised at the Russian court. It seems that his sister was given to the Russian czar as a bride and they threw 7 year old Leopold in to boot. Their family was poor and they were happy to be rid of him. As an adult he immigrated to England and married a princess who died childless. The English king didn't want him hanging around and perhaps making a play for the throne so the king went looking for countries needing their own king. There were several at the time and Leopold debated between Greece & Belgium and went with the upstart nation. He subsequently married a French princess and they had Leopold II. The second was a bit of a war-monger and wanted to conquer Europe. He was dissuaded from that fiasco but wanted to have a colony like some of the great nations of Europe did at the time. Most places were already taken so he settled for the Congo. Although it never developed a tourist trade it did produce enough rubber when the automobile was taking off to make a considerable contribution to Belgian coffers. Today they have King Albert who is a Catholic. That became most significant when the government was voting on an abortion law. The king abdicated for a day, the pro-choice law was passed, & he resumed the throne the next day.

Ghent

We left for Ghent after breakfast. They spell it "Gent" here and pronounce it that way with a hard "G." We're trying not to Akronize it with a soft "G." Gent was awarded the best-preserved medieval city in the world. What a disappointment. Keeping in mind that Bruges is really a re-built medieval city, I prefer the layout and charm of the canals and narrow streets there. Ghent is raggedy with crumbling facades interspersed with new buildings. The rule of thumb is that building is done in the style of the present century so modern is replacing aged structures. Ghent too thrived on trading cloth and beer in its prime.

So our local guide, Monique, was ineffective. She never learned that when she spoke and turned her back to the group we couldn't hear her. She also started explaining sights before the entire group was assembled. It was annoying but not a huge loss. The most interesting thing she pointed out was Bush Beer famed for its 12% alcohol content.

We did get to see St. Basil cathedral that houses a twelve part triptych (Mystic Lamb-1432) by the Van Eyck brothers. We saw it several times. There were two reproductions (a mini & full size) and the original. You had to pay 4 EU each to see the original so we peeked in the side door.

Lunch was on our own and we weren't too hungry. We ate outside again despite the chill and had croque vegetale. It was your basic grilled cheese sandwich. They accompanied it with a small mixed salad topped with delicious mayonnaise. I don't usually eat mayo at home but this is so much richer. You can see it in the yellow color.

Das Boot 

We arrived in Antwerp and went directly to the boat. We take a guided walking tour tomorrow before sailing. The boat is one of the oldest of the Grand Circle fleet but a beauty. The fittings are brass and wood & storage is surprisingly ample. We totally unloaded our bags, found things we'd forgotten we had, & stowed the empty suitcases under the upholstered benches that serve as a daytime seating area. Beds fold down on top of them in the evening. We have a picture window looking out on the river and if we're not careful David will sit looking out for two weeks. There's a workout room, lounge, dining room, dance floor and music each night after dinner. There's even a library with books, board games and puzzles. I have no fear of finishing the books I brought now. There are literally a hundred more from which to choose. I found the ice machine, coffee & teas are out 24/7, & David already signed up for a massage. Two glasses of wine or beer or soft drinks are included at dinner & water is provided all the time. The bathroom is bigger than I thought it would be and the shower stall can actually hold an adult. We will however kill ourselves going in and out. There's a small lip to step over each way. It's a matter of time before it gets one of us or both.

Dewi told us we're staying with her for the duration. That's fine with me. She's been great. We had a series of welcomes from the captain & some staff telling us rules and regs and covering safety issue. Looks like we won't be lighting Shabbat candles. Open flames are verboten. We'll travel through thirty-three locks on our journey and we were cautioned that many are very narrow and we need to keep arms and legs inside the rails. We were also told that as the river rises and falls with the tide we should notice that the placing of the gangplank changes. We already figured that out as we left the boat for a walk on our own this afternoon. The gangplank was one floor up from where we'd entered.

We joined Gerry & Al from Chicago for dinner. They'd just arrived and were jet-lagged but seemed nice. Dinner was beyond our expectations. It was Dutch night and we started with a typical salad with diced assorted cheese, beets, etc. That was followed by mustard soup to die for. I hope to get the recipe. David had chicken and I ate tilapia as the main. Mine was accompanied with saffron rice and pureed carrots. David's had their famous white asparagus which I appropriated. Dessert was cheese or quarter sized pancakes in a vanilla creme sauce. Both were lovely.

We're turning in early & I fear that the convenient location of our room will also be a downfall. We're close to the main area and it will be noisy. I'll have to find my earplugs.

Toby