French Sojourn

I started my walk today at the Saint Paul's Cathedral with its magnificent 17th century "Reclining Christ" statue by Jean del Cour and its lovely stained glass vitrine of the Last Supper. I continued my ecclesiastical meander to the Saint-Denis Church with its wonderful 1530 Altarpiece of the Passion of Christ in the upper section and the Life of Saint Denis of Paris in the lower. It is worth while expanding the photo to observe the minute details My next stop was the gorgeous 12th century sandstone Romanesque Saint Bartholomew Church with its 1118 bronze Baptismal font resting on ten oxen. Also inside was the beautiful Baroque altar and an intriguing statue of the Virgin and Infant standing on a nest of vipers. In the evening, thus inspired, I made my way to Liège's Michelen Italian restaurant, I Giadini,  and dined on Pasta dei Fruiti di Mare washed down with quite a pleasant vino bianco. Tomorrow I depart Belgium for the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. ...

I am only in La Cité Ardente or Passionate City as Liège is known for a couple of days so I took a quick stroll around it's Old Town, where most of its historic monuments are located. Of particular interest, because of its three storey Baroque façade adorned with many statues and the Coat of Arms of Prince Maximilien of Bavaria, was the former 17t century church, the Notre Dame of the Imaculate Conception. Nearby was the Fountain Saint-Jean-Baptiste, which has been in place since 1667. My challenge for the day was to climb the Montagne de Buren, which is an ascent of 374 lung-wrenching steps for a panoramic view of the city and its fast flowing river, the Meuse. My final stop was the 18th century Palace of the Prince-Bishops, an exceptional architectural ensemble, which is now the Law Courts. Inside is an enormous square and cloister containing sixty columns topped with richly decorated capitals depicting grotesque masks and bizarre human faces.

Today I took the train to the historic town of Lier, some 17 km south-east of Antwerp, for the day. My first stop was the Grote Markt, with its turreted 14th century Belfort. The Belltower is attached to the classically elegant Stadhuis or Town Hall while the Square itself is surrounded by an eclectic mix of Gothic, neo-Classical and Romanesque buildings. From there I made my way to the 1375 Prisoner's Gate, which was built as part of the original town wall and until 1930 housed prisoners. I continued on to what is a uniquely Belgian Institution, the Béguinage, which dates from the 13th century, and where widows and unmarried women established a community to live together in prayer and do pious acts without having to take vows. It was enjoyable to meander through its narrow streets past the lovely cottages. Next stop was the Zimmer Tower with its gorgeous Jubelklok or Centenary Clock, whose many dials show the phases of the moon, the zodiac the tides of Lier and other innovations. ...

I had a quiet day visiting two Antwerp historical houses, mainly to see the art work there. The first belonged to Nicolaas Rockox, a former mayor and sponsor of Peter Paul Rubens. Here are a couple of paintings from that period. "Domestic Scene" by the artist I already mentioned, David Teniers, in 1620 and "Travellers on Horses" by Anthony van Dyck in 1610. Next I went to the gorgeous home of the great man himself, Rubens. Here are two of his paintings. The first is "Adam and Eve", which was completed by Rubens when he was barely 21. The second is "The Crucifixion of St. Christopher",  which shows the influence the Italian Masters, Michelangelo and Caravaggio, had on his later style. Also on display was the bed Rubens slept in. At that era it was considered more beneficial to sleep sitting up.

I commenced my stroll around Antwerp at the magnificent neo-Baroque Centraal Station. This classical structure with its spires, balconies and multiple pillars was built in 1905 when Belgium was a colonial power with the vast resource rich Congo providing a wealth of ivory and rubber. Adjacent to the station is the Diamond Quarter, the world's largest diamond centre where these precious stones are cut or re-cut, polished and sold. A little further on I came to a bronze statue of one of Antwerp's famous painters, David Teniers, flanked by a pair of towering twin façades. Next stop was the Cathedral of Our Lady with its lacy 400 foot high spire. The church was begun in 1352 but not consecrated until 1521. The tympanum or archway above the main portal, showing the Last Judgement with Christ raising his hand to divide the righteous from the wicked, is quite remarkable. From the Cathedral I came to Antwerp's river, the Schelde, which I crossed via the pedestrian and cyclists'...

On Sunday I took the train to the nearby seaport and seaside resort of Ostend for the day. The port has a very nice sandy beach and a wide promenade on which to take a stroll. Not far from the station was the neo-Gothic  St-Petrus-en-Paulus kirk with its historic stained glass windows. Just behind it was the last remnant of its predecessor, a massive sixteenth century brick tower called the Peperbusse. One of Ostend's major attractions is its first-rate seafood. I found a charming restaurant on the waterfront called "Othello" and, being a groupie of the Bard, I walsed right in and dejeunered on Dover Sole Meunière, caught straight from the North Sea, and washed down with a pleasant Chardonnay-Voignier. Still in Flanders my next destination is Antwerpen.

On Saturday I took a tour to Flanders Fields, about 40 miles south-west of Bruges. These World War 1 battlefields remain infamous in military history for the hundreds of thousands of soldiers from fifty nations and five continents who, over a period of three and a half years, drew their last breaths here. Today one cannot drive through this part of Flanders without passing many war cemeteries, memorials and, indeed, artillery craters. I'll post a few photos of the Commonwealth War Cemetery at Ypres, the Australian Memorial there, King George V visiting the area (second from right), an unexploded shell and the Menin Gate. This impressive Victorian archway is etched with the names of thousands of British, Australian, New Zealand and Canadian troops who left Ypres for the battlefields and trenches, never to return. I stayed on for the moving Last Post Ceremony which is performed each evening by military personnel. I think it is fitting to end this post with a poem written by the Canad...