They picked us back up after the house tour and we continued walking. It was better weather now - the sun was out although it was still cold.
Tree in bloom
Advertisement for a furniture store
We walked through another building which the guide wanted to show us.
approach
chandelier that the guide wanted to show us
leaving the building
The severed hand is the symbol of Antwerp
Antwerp hand
The story goes that a giant was charging a toll to cross his bridge and if you did not pay, he chopped off your hand. A young man got annoyed at all this hand cutting, found the giant, cut off his hand and threw it in the river. The name Antwerp is said to derive from the Dutch “to throw a hand,” when the city was founded a thousand years ago. There are candies and cookies in the shape of this hand.
My back still hurt (I can only do about 2 hours on the scooter at a time) I really wanted to go back to the ship. But we were apparently in a pedestrian area and even on the street the taxis have to be called or picked up in a taxi stand - you can't hail them in the street. They took us to a taxi stand and left us but there were no taxis there.
So after five minutes or so, We went to a cafe (which was not really open but there was a fire there in the fireplace) and asked a lady to call us a cab, which she did.
Street near the cafe
The group we were with were to have gone to the cathedral to see the Ruben's paintings there but could not go in because it was Sunday and they were having services, so we really didn't miss much.
Tree in bloom
Advertisement for a furniture store
We walked through another building which the guide wanted to show us.
approach
chandelier that the guide wanted to show us
leaving the building
The severed hand is the symbol of Antwerp
Antwerp hand
The story goes that a giant was charging a toll to cross his bridge and if you did not pay, he chopped off your hand. A young man got annoyed at all this hand cutting, found the giant, cut off his hand and threw it in the river. The name Antwerp is said to derive from the Dutch “to throw a hand,” when the city was founded a thousand years ago. There are candies and cookies in the shape of this hand.
My back still hurt (I can only do about 2 hours on the scooter at a time) I really wanted to go back to the ship. But we were apparently in a pedestrian area and even on the street the taxis have to be called or picked up in a taxi stand - you can't hail them in the street. They took us to a taxi stand and left us but there were no taxis there.
So after five minutes or so, We went to a cafe (which was not really open but there was a fire there in the fireplace) and asked a lady to call us a cab, which she did.
Street near the cafe
The group we were with were to have gone to the cathedral to see the Ruben's paintings there but could not go in because it was Sunday and they were having services, so we really didn't miss much.
- Next entry in the series 'Two Visits to Belgium': Tracking Down the Antwerp Central Station in 2016
- Previous entry in the series 'Two Visits to Belgium': Rubens' Garden in 2016
