Antwerp Uncovered

Last weekend there's an organized trip to Friesland, but since I, along with four of my friends, are too late to sign up, we organize our own trip to Antwerp.  We leave after a leisurely Saturday morning, during which we buy fresh stroopwafels at the market, eat said stroopwafels with fresh coffee at my house, prepare cheese sandwiches for lunch, and power up with a little qigong.  The trip is only around two hours, and we arrive at Antwerp Station just after noon.  The station itself is absolutely gigantic, and worth a look even if you're not taking a train.

We set out to find a hostel, and are turned down by the first two we check.  Fortunately, the woman at the second hostel is kind enough to call another for us, and secures us a spot at the Boomerang.   

As you can see, it's quite unobtrusively marked, and we have our doubts as we climb the steps to enter.  We need not worry, however, as the owner is very kind and lets us into the somewhat exotic common room.  "Eclectic" may be a better word; huge plush couches, art from around the world, and naked female mannequins are scattered throughout the room, yet it somehow comes together to create a comfortable, homey atmosphere.  

After a brief rest (my stomach has a harsh but fortunately brief period of revolt), during which Alex and Mike play chess and Mike is constantly harassed by an Australian musician watching his moves over his shoulder, we leave the hostel to explore Antwerp.  Our first stop is the largest Gothic church in Belgium, the Cathedral of Our Lady.  It's closed right now, but we admire the architecture and try in vain to take a picture which captures the entire building.  

We pass through the main square and past the magnificent 16th century Stadhuis (town hall).  Next we head to the Schelde River, on which a medieval fortress, known as the Steen, is located.  The Steen houses a maritime museum, and there are several boats and barges to check out on the adjacent harbor. 

We wander from the river through the old part of town, ending up back at the main square.  By this time, we decide it's time for a beer - after all, Belgium is the beer capital of the world, and Antwerp is known for its hundreds of pubs.  After dinner at an Irish pub (oddly enough, Antwerp is known for these, too), we continue on a mini pub crawl, checking out the diverse range of pubs the city has to offer (to those of you who think I'm much too small to handle any sort of pub crawl, you're right; but don't worry, I know that, too, and didn't overdo it).  Back at the Boomerang, we are shown into our room, which is blessedly on the second floor (the narrow building seems to spiral upwards to infinity), and get a good night's sleep.  

The next morning, we have many plans, but one which takes extreme precedence: Belgian waffles.  The owner of the hostel advices us that the best place to find waffles is the main square, so that's where we head.  Unfortunately, it's Sunday and many places are closed, and we are starting to get desperate when we find what we need: Belgian waffles, served with sugar, whipped cream, chocolate, or ice cream, and a little slice of heaven on the side.  

Rejuvenated by our breakfast, we head to the Rubens house, the form home of artist Peter Paul Rubens.  It's an excellent collection, as well as an amazing 17th century townhouse, and for just 4 euros we also received free entry into the nearby Mayer van den Bergh Museum, which is a reconstructed 16th century townhouse filled with an amazing assortment of Medieval and Renaissance art, as well as jewelry, antique (hand scribed) books, and other tokens from the period (including some impressive, huge, and extremely elaborate iron keys).  By this point, we are hungry again and head back to the main square, where the convenient "free map for young travelers" we picked up at the hostel has highlighted where to find the last thing we must try before leaving Belgium - frites.  Actually, this is a lie, as we later realized we must also sample chocolate, but at the time our minds were pretty focused on comparing Belgian frites to ours in the Netherlands.  Our place of choice is Frituur MAX, which houses a tiny fry museum on its second floor (mainly cartoon sketches involving fries, hard to describe but cute and funny) and offers an impressive range of over 10 types of sauce.  Needless to say, the fries are delicious, as were several of the sauces, but I am sorry to report that the sauce labelled "American" was a funky orange color sprinkled with green flecks which I'm pretty sure most Americans would avoid at all costs.  We enjoy our fries outside, where a street performer somewhat unimpressively rides a unicycle while juggling.  

Did you know Antwerp sits atop of a city under the ground?  Neither did we, until this morning when our friend at the Boomerang suggested checking out the sewers.  We thought he was kidding, but it turns out that there's an underground city, known as Ruine ("covered sewers"), originally dating from the 5th century and open until the 18th.  Since we haven't planned ahead and don't have a reservation for a tour, we can only go down and take a quick (but free) look at the entrance to the sewers...apparently, on the tour, which lasts three hours, you see old street signs, samples of architecture, the remnants of 62 bridges, and some type of cathedral.  You are also outfitted in full protective dress and boots, which is amusing to see as a spectator above ground, but I'm the first to say I plan to suit up and go under next time I'm in town.  

From here, we head back to the Boomerang (with a quick chocolate detour) for the last time, and set out for the train station.  We are concerned that there might not be any Sunday evening trains, but we needn't worry.  After almost departing on a train not meant for us (we knew something was wrong when we everything looked really, really nice), then being oddly forced to evacuate the next train without explanation, we manage to squeeze (just barely) onto a severely overcrowded third train.  I am standing shoulder-to-shoulder with several large adults and pressed against a seat for half the journey, but I've just discovered Sudoku on my phone, so it's not that bad.  Eventually, I get a seat (the kind man exiting it strategically warned me ahead of time), and suddenly I'm enjoying one of the most luxurious, comfortable cushions I've ever sat on - at least that's how it feels right now.  Arriving back in Leiden at around 10pm, we say goodbye to each other and go our separate ways.  Antwerp is a fascinating city, and one I plan to return to; it has much more to offer - both underground and above - than I was able to see in our short two-day trip.

Amsterdam and Collision, Two Ways

Last Saturday I'm in Amsterdam - it's my first trip back to the city since our family vacation there 5 years ago. We spend the day touring the canals, which are much bigger and grander than those in Leiden, and probably most of the Netherlands in general. On the way, we stop to check out the
 apartment we stayed in on our first trip (third picture), which is high and narrow, and I remember the tiny spiral staircase we used to brave each day.  We also visit an old canal house, which has been reconstructed according to its traditional style and houses a nice collection of Dutch Renaissance art.  It was interesting to see some of the strange architectural details of the house - for example, in the master bedroom a false door is placed into the wall design to create symmetry when the room is closed!  After that, we head over to Nieuwkerk, which is holding a special exhibition on ancient art from Afghanistan (you may have guessed this, but the Dutch aren't very religious; they tend to find other used for their churches).  The exhibit has drawn a huge crowd, and I can see why - it's an excellent display of pottery, carvings, and jewelry ranging from 3000BC or older to around 1000AD.  The intricate designs on the jewelry, recovered from ancient crypts, are especially splendid, and overall it was well worth braving the crowd.  

We head home after the church and get dinner at an Indonesian restaurant I've been dying to try in Leiden (since any place that's over $10 for a complete meal is generally out of our price range, my friends and I tend to stick to the elegant simplicity of a good cheese sandwich - and, of course, falafel).  I'm not disappointed - the food is great - but I have to admit, I sometimes find myself longing for a nice plate of Thai food.  In any case, no sooner do I return to my apartment than I get a call from George, Hole in the Wall's infamous front man, who is in Amsterdam!  I knew he was coming at some point with his friend G.I., but I didn't realize it was this weekend; of course, I need to see him while he's here, so I make plans to head back to Amsterdam the next day.

Sunday, I meet George and G.I. at the station.  They are, not surprisingly, extremely hungover from the night before, but they've definitely been having a good time and they're in good spirits when I arrive.  We get a quick lunch (George, at first claiming he wanted to try something "new, and really Dutch," orders a plain cheese sandwich and then complains that it's boring - good to see George hasn't changed a bit) and make a plan for the day.  Most of the museums are closed on Sunday, which is a shame because I had hoped to take them to the Van Gogh museum, but I find some options in the "Alternative Amsterdam" section of the day trip book my dad has lent me.  First stop?  The Erotic museum, which is 5 floors of erotic art and oddities, including a wall of drawings by John Lennon (which are pretty much exactly what you would expect erotic art by John Lennon to look like, if you have an idea).  At under 3 euro per person, it's a good value if you have any interest in the subject.  We then check out the Marijuana Hemp museum, which is mainly a collection of photos, posters, and magazines relating to "cannabis culture" and the uses of hemp.  There's also a room filled with marijuana plants in various growth stages, with an employee on hand to explain anything you'd want to know.  Overall, it's a fairly interesting museum, but not altogether riveting.  At this point, George and G.I. are ready to hit the bars, so after a quick coffee (you can't leave Holland without some good Dutch coffee) and a stroopwafel (I brought them with me - you can't leave Holland without those, either), I say goodbye and let them experience that side of Amsterdam without me.

So there you have it, Amsterdam two ways - overall, definitely a good weekend.  Now, you may be wondering - what about collision?  Don't worry, collision comes, but not until Tuesday.  I'm out on my bike early, heading to the post office to mail some things back home.  It's a beautiful day, if a bit windy, and I start thinking about how it's only a matter of time before I crash my bike.  I know, you see, that it's impossible for me to make it a whole semester here without crashing it at some point, and this is what I'm thinking as I turn off the street towards the post office, hit the sidewalk the wrong way, and sprawl to the ground, much to the surprise of several onlookers.  I'm fine (I have a very high pain threshold), but the fall must have looked pretty bad, and it's some time before I convince the good samaritans around me that I really am ok.  By far, the worst part of crashing your bike, apart from any serious injury, is dealing with those who see it.  But as far as crashes go, this is a relatively mild one, and in a way I'm relieved to have gotten it out of the way.

This is what I'm telling my friend Alex in class later, and he laughs and tells me he hasn't had any serious crashes yet, but he does tend to bump into the stone poles which block off pedestrian streets with some frequency.   I head out for my night class a few hours later, thinking that although I may have crashed my bike, at least I haven't run into any poles.  No sooner do I think this, of course, than I smack directly into the pole in front of me, making (I must admit) quite an impressive noise.  I sort of jump into the air about a foot before amazingly landing on my bike, and steadying myself against the wall next to me, I escape this crash without even falling down.  And, after assuring the two startled girls in front of me that everything was fine (they turned when they heard the noise, and were probably as surprised as I was to see me half-standing, half-leaning against the wall but otherwise ok), I'm back on track.  I think the moral of the story is: if you start to think about something going wrong, it definitely, definitely will.

So there you have it: Amsterdam and collision, two ways.  For sure, there are many more ways to experience each of these, and while I plan to enjoy the former several more times, I'd like to think I'm done with the latter, at least for awhile.