Alone in Antwerp

Well Johnny was up and out before daybreak this morning in anticipation of his flight to St Petersburg. He has held a dream for a very long time to visit that city and he could hardly wait to catch the train to the airport and be in plenty of time to make his plane.

I received a text from the airport to let me know that he had arrived, checked in and was currently looking for breakfast. We had made an arrangement that we would Skype each evening at 7.00 pm my time. I have been sitting here with Skype open for more than an hour and a half now and not a dicky-bird from Russia. Not sure whether to read anything into that or not, but it has got me wondering.

So anyway, I set my alarm for a sensible hour and went back to sleep. Got up around 7.00 and prepared for my departure. Had breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Actually it is a separate restaurant next door to the hotel but they seem to have some sort of mutual arrangement and the breakfast was included in the rate. Well, it was absolutely yummy. Quite French and the croissants were melt-in-your-mouth flaky. After a bonus croissant I set off for the station and made it comfortably in time for my 10.20 departure.

Not a crowd on the train and I found a nice panoramic window seat (facing forward). Glided out through the suburbs of Brussels, mostly underground and sped across the Belgian countryside towards Antwerp. Arrived just after 11.00 but it took me another 30-45 minutes to make my way out of this fabulous railway station.

As it was too early to check into my hotel I was not in a hurry and as I had left the biggest suitcase at the hotel in Brussels to pick up when we return, I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself. Emerged from the station onto a large square which was relatively free of pedestrians. No horde of humanity clogging up this city's streets and boulevards. I was enchanted.

There is a huge zoo right beside the railway station. The entrance is on the left hand side of the photo. Perched on a dome on top of the building on the other side of the zoo gates is a chap on a camel. Quite taken with this statue. Haven't discovered who he is yet but I am working on it. Forgot to mention, there was another chap who also stole my attention. A giant size cut-out inside the station who is giving Poldark a run for his money!! And no, that woman didn't have a peek to see what was under his kilt.

Ambled along the pavement - no cobbles here - and noticed a bus advertising a sightseeing tour of the city. Spoke to the driver who told me the tour takes about an hour and has a running commentary. Thought this would be a great way to fill in a little time and get some inside information about Antwerp. The driver told me it would be perfectly alright to take my luggage on board, said he would guard it with his life.

Minutes after departure my enchantment with this beautiful city grew. There is an incredible mix here of the very old to the very contemporary. From a castle that was pillaged by the Normans to futuristic buildings. I have earmarked a couple to visit tomorrow. I had planned on going to the zoo but when it gets right down to it, animals are the same anywhere but I will not have another chance to

visit this fabulous city. At least, I don't think so.

Now, they have really got the traffic sorted in Antwerp. There seems to be huge numbers of people riding bicycles (no rentals here) and they have dedicated cycles lanes that are as wide as a motor vehicle lane. There are also dedicated pedestrian paths which have signs advising cyclists that they are strictly "verboten" in these areas. Everything moves smoothly and I am sure I wouldn't want to cover my eyes if I was a passenger in a taxi here.

After the bus tour I made my way to my hotel, just behind the railway station. I feel I have to mention that the concourse at the railway station is about as long as Queen Street Mall. Not exaggerating. Should also mention here that the station has several levels of platforms. I think there are at least four, could even be five. Or perhaps five doesn't count because the main concourse doesn't

actually have any trains pulling into it.

According to the commentary on the bus, a lot of workers in Antwerp come into the city by train. That's big double decker high speed trains from other towns in Belgium. I can see how that would work. No mucking around with public transport here. And you don't have to take your life in your hands negotiating the city's streets.

Must mention the port of Antwerp which stands at the upper end of the tidal estuary of the Scheldt. The estuary is navigable by ships of more than 100,000 Gross Tons as far as 80 km inland. The location means that the port enjoys a more central location in Europe than the majority of North Sea ports. Antwerp's docks are connected to the hinterland by rail, waterway and road. As a result the port of Antwerp has become one of Europe's largest sea ports, ranking second behind Rotterdam by total freight shipped. This was all news to me.