mikado afternoon: 12 hours in antwerp

the weather forecast said sunny with scattered clouds and a 2% chance of rain in the afternoon for antwerp. without further ado, in goes my trusty notebook, wallet and cards, camera, and a selection of spie newsletters (kay para informative kunuhay akong basabasahon while waiting haha) into a day bag. finally, at 8:30 on saturday morning, hello antwerp!

antwerpen-centraal statie

i got off at the antwerp central station which is, according to the website mashable, the most beautiful railway in the world.

well..it's huge. and very clean. the layout of the topmost level facing the entrance to the terminal from the trains reminds me of the train station in the movie hugo. the platforms have the modern, edgy, almost minimalist designs while the main entrance hall under the dome is of the older, "classical" style. i'm not familiar with the terminologies basta kanang karaan bitaw tan-awon haha.

the station has four levels, three of which underground, which caters to high-speed international trains like thalys. i tried to wait for the thalys train bound for paris just to see how fast it runs but then i got bored and a little hungry so i sauntered off to find food after a while. it's no bullet train anyway so i don't think i'm missing a lot.

middelheim museum

being a part of flanders, i wasn't expecting much difference in the architectural structures between gent and antwerp so i thought visiting museums would be reasonable. the middelheim museum is a huuuuuge expanse of land featuring sculptures and architectural art from the 1870's to present. it's an open air museum with over a hundred installations scattered all over the enormous nature park. best to see it by bike.

Jessica Stockholder, Born of Landscape Linoleum, 1999

Het Huis

Roman Signer, Bidon bleu, 2012

Panamarenko, Archaeopterix Lithografica, 1993.
This installation has motion sensors causing the bird to move about when people pass by.

Erwin Wurm, Misconceivable, 2010

Francois Pompon, Ijsbeer, 1920-1922

omg, omg, powlar beaaaaar!

Antony Gormley, Firmament III, 2009

Giacomo Manzu, 1950's

Alice Aycock, Leonardo swirl, 1982

giant yoga ball.

de hound

Carl Milles, Pegasus, 1949

Erwin Wurm, Disziplin in der Subjektivitat, 2006-2011

Eugene Dodeigne, Drie staanden, 1978

Pascale Marthine Tayou, Palaverboom, Diamond scape II, 2013

Rick Wouters, Het zotte geweld, 1912

to make things more interesting i also wasn't just a passive observer; a student of photography asked to take my portrait. now i'm also art in some random person's portfolio. haha. and i had a little chat with this belgian guy who was cycling around looking at the displays. he lives nearby, has two kids, one 5 years old and the other 11, had a bachelor in something related to electromagnetics then studied business and architecture afterwards, but i kid you not he doesn't look anywhere older than 30! like, seriously! now he's doing managing stuff running his own bakery. we talked about art and stuff and making things with your hands, masters and phd's, parks in brussels and gent, he promoted this great museum in dusseldorf, and told me that antwerp is currently celebrating the world war centenary and about some bridge over scheldt being opened to people and how he couldn't get through because there were just too many people. okay. at the exit we greeted each other "see you!" and laughed because i suppose we both knew there's less than a small chance we'll actually meet again.

saturday market, theatersplein

back in the city center i passed by the saturday market in theatersplein and ended up spending the rest of my lunch hopping from one free food sampling to the next haha. anyway, i decided to try new things that are not related to burgers, kebab, or waffles and i ended up with karakollens (escargot/snails. gulp!), fried fresh mackerels, a selection of cheese and olives, and some pre-prepared ravioli for take away.

these calla lilies are cute! i wanted to buy flowers but they'd die in my arms before i'd get back home so picture na lang muna.

antwerp is actually supposed to be known for its fashion and style. it's dubbed as the fashion capital of belgium where internationally acclaimed designers like ann demeulemeester and dries van houten come from. cool, i really thought they were dutch. i may not have photos of the shopping district itself but i have something better. tadaaa! street artists in action :D

world war i centenary

advice from a clueless tourist like me to another clueless tourist: if you're not sure where to start, head for the grote markt! every flemish city has one, or something similar to it. i needed to go there anyway to look for souvenirs for my mom's coffee table and that was where most of the activity was this weekend.

as my new found friend on bike mentioned, antwerp is currently celebrating the world war i centenary. apparently, antwerp was an important allied stronghold keeping the germans at bay and where king albert i and all important government officials retreated to when brussels fell during the war. it eventually fell to the germans but the resistance allowed the allies the much needed victory over ypres and the coast which are more strategic locations. as a result hundreds and thousands of people were displaced, fleeing to the netherlands, france, and britain. the activities and displays for the centenary is focused on this diaspora and the effect of the wars on the people and culture instead of the technicalities of war.

so this is the pontoon bridge mr. guy-on-bike was talking about! at that same location in 1914, the original pontoon bridge was built over the scheldt river and was invaluable for the transportation of supplies and quick evacuation.

members and volunteers of the royal british legion handing out paper poppies, or remembrance poppies as they are known. i asked about the significance of the poppies and he told me it's the symbol used to commemorate people who have died in the wars. its use was inspired by the poem "in flanders fields" written by a soldier about poppies growing on the graves of soldiers during the war.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If you break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields

By Major John McCrae – 1915 - Boezinge

dogs everywhere! weee! petting dogs is my favorite past time haha.

het steen

the pontoon starts outside het steen, one of the oldest structures in antwerp. it's been renovated multiple times, used as a prison, as an archaeological museum, etc. currently it has a cafe/pub and holds children's activities for the promotion of history and culture.

just around the grote markt are, of course, a number of notable churches. churches are interesting because in the medieval ages they are so conservative (and rich..not to mention manipulative and worldly) they were an excellent keeper of culture, hence, visiting churches is like stepping into museums where you have to keep quieter than usual.

sint-paulskerk

a garden of statues. i counted about 50 sculptures.

a depiction of hell, i suppose.

reliefs of the stations of the cross.

12th station. Jesus dies on the cross.

saint paul's church is also notable for its pipe organ, the oldest and largest in belgium.

onze-lieve-vrouw kerk

the really big church near the grote markt and usually depicted in the antwerp souvenirs.

sint-andrieskerk

most churches are more or less the same, each with their own special, most notable features or displays. but sint-andrieskerk is something else altogether, it has the most unique church installations i have ever seen. food for thought.

punching bag. define unique, haha. inscription: jacob wrestled with (a man of) God until daybreak. "and i have survived", jacob said. (gen. 32: 25, 31). better to remain wrestling with someone than dumping him. also with God.

"come after me and i will make you fishers of men". van hoof/van geel, 1821.
(prayer for vocations on the inscription)
Lord God, You never stop to take care of Your people. We ask You: let younger and older people always be attracted by Your unique son, Jesus. May there also be in our time candidates to devote their lives as: priest, deacon, sister, brother, missionary, pastoral assistant, catechist. May they in their prayer and in their actions dedicate themselves completely to You and offer themselves to Your church and to your people. We ask You this through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

wat is waarheid? (what is truth?) a. senez, 2012.

a person's lifetime from the cradle to the grave. just before the depiction of the graves there is a suitcase with the inscription, wat neem jij mee op je laatste reis? what would you take with you on your last trip?

museum aan de stroom (mas)

museum in the stream. a 10-storey museum built beside the scheldt. in celebration of the world war centenary it currently exhibits very powerful images of the great diaspora during the world war.

refugees flocking the pontoon at the scheldt to take refuge in the netherlands, france, or great britain.

the pontoon bridge between steenplein and sint-anna, october 1914. in order to escape german troops the belgian army built a pontoon bridge over the scheldt supported by dozens of small boats.