not so intrepid traveling

I was talking to a fellow voyager this morning, as we watched the ship pull away from Antwerp, about choices of what to see in each port. She said an experienced traveler had suggested that the most treasured memories were not of seeing the big sights that you can see in a book. I was glad she said that, as I was feeling somewhat guilty and disappointed in myself for not meeting the general expectations of seeing the Rubens House, the medieval castle, etc.

Antwerp was sort of a housekeeping stop for me. I got my hair cut and found the Carrefour grocery store underground at the tram stop, each a minor challenge when dealing with signs and people speaking Dutch almost exclusively. (Now my cabin is stocked with the essentials: Coke, granola bars, and Activia yogurt in a great coconut flavor.) I did take a wonderful day tour of Bruges, including a canal boat ride; but other than that I mostly hung out in Antwerp, walked around, and found other SAS people to try the local frites, beer, and chocolates with.

Best of all, I came upon a musician in the heart of tourist territory, the historic center of Antwerp, who was *not* playing American music. In every other city we have been surrounded by familiar music you can hear on American radio. Even the Antwerp cathedral bells played 'Let It Be' as I took a picture of one of the ubiquitous madonnas on a building corner. Here was a guy singing Dutch and French original songs. Alas, they weren't his, and he didn't have a CD, but he wrote down some names of songwriters and directed me to a store where I could find their CDs under the genre Kleinkunst. I now have 'het beste van' compilation of Boudewijn de Groot.

I took lots of pictures, including gorgeous architecture and art -- did you know there's a Michelangelo sculpture in a Bruges church? -- but today I'll share some of the lesser known sights I experienced.