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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 25, 2022 19:57:23 GMT
I had to come to Antwerp today before going off the map tomorrow. The train station is considered to be one of the 5 most beautiful stations in Europe although it was nearly demolished in the the mid-20th century due to damage dating from World War 2. The station was closed in 1986 and all of the repairs were done that year, using lighter modern materials to prevent collapse. But in 1998, Antwerp was converted from a terminus to a through station due to the Thalys from Paris to Amsterdam. This wasn't completed until 2007, so at ground level practically everything has changed from the old days. I noticed that there were three different levels of tracks, and the big concourse now is where the old tracks used to come to an end.
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 25, 2022 20:07:37 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 25, 2022 20:16:46 GMT
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Post by onlyMark on Aug 25, 2022 20:33:16 GMT
The turtle that's on fire... what does it say? Post 2, 2nd and 3rd photos - no parking regulations then....
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Post by whatagain on Aug 25, 2022 20:57:32 GMT
hi Mark.
An hommage to Mieke the turtle. Because i don't remember of i drowned itvin the gasket under the waterpump. Or if i had it cooked behind the heater in winter.
Maybe flemish humor... Note that the zoo is written in French, dating from the time notables zll spoke french.
The zoo is splendid but more like a museum, showing how zoos were made in early 19th. Not so nice for the animals...
Antwerp is written Antwerpen in Flemish. I had never seen the chinese area. Waiting for more. Been a few times as a kid, then during my army time and back a few months ago.
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 26, 2022 3:12:20 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 26, 2022 3:19:08 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 26, 2022 3:44:05 GMT
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Post by fumobici on Aug 26, 2022 3:57:35 GMT
Alcohol forbidden lol. Where do they think they are, North America?
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 26, 2022 4:49:31 GMT
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Post by onlyMark on Aug 26, 2022 6:23:23 GMT
An hommage to Mieke the turtle. Because i don't remember of i drowned itvin the gasket under the waterpump. Or if i had it cooked behind the heater in winter. Ahh, ok.
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Post by bjd on Aug 26, 2022 6:53:20 GMT
Thanks for this, Kerouac. We were in Antwerp in the mid-1990s and I don't remember it at all like that. I do remember the train station and there were tons of diamond merchants in the street just beside it. We must have been in the historic centre more than in the shopping areas you show.
And as for speaking French, when we tried to buy sandwiches in a small place where you asked for the various ingredients, the clerk refused to speak French and we had to speak English, not knowing any Flemish. But I remember liking Antwerp a lot.
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Post by whatagain on Aug 26, 2022 18:16:49 GMT
Bjd, it always makes me ill at ease to read comments thzt some Flemish refuse to speak French.
I really don't know if they are plain stupid or if they pretend they could but actually can't speak French.
I guess i will probably never know since i speak 99pc of the time in flemish.
Last i was in Antwerpen we spoke French and Flemish, quite confusing the waiter.
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 26, 2022 18:55:31 GMT
The police officer at the immigration bureau did his best to speak French to me as soon as he saw my passport, but I felt compelled to continue speaking English.
I can't continue this report for about 10 days probably. The ship sails in 35 minutes.
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Post by bjd on Aug 26, 2022 19:23:12 GMT
Have a good time, Kerouac.
Whatagain, today I mentioned Kerouac's photo report to my husband. His first reaction was remembering that sandwich place in Antwerp and how angry he was about thier refusal to speak French. I can't say it bothered me too much, although I did remember it right away. It isn't very "commercial minded" to refuse customers but perhaps this particular clerk had some problem with French-speakers.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Aug 26, 2022 20:38:55 GMT
Bon Voyage Kerouac.
Interesting photos...never been to Antwerp me.
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Post by mich64 on Aug 26, 2022 21:54:08 GMT
Enjoy your adventure! I look forward to seeing more of your photos. We drove around/through Antwerp once and I wished we had time to stop. Interesting photos.
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Post by lugg on Aug 27, 2022 21:06:45 GMT
I had no ideas how interesting and varied Antwerp is ... now I hope to go some day. Fabulous photos K2 .,
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 3, 2022 14:59:10 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 3, 2022 15:08:14 GMT
Since the zoo is adjacent to the train station, I had to take another look at it. The ironwork is impressive. There were lots of youth groups being ushered in. This is the companion to the flaming turtle on the other pillar. I still have not looked up the story of them. The camel on top was excellent from both sides. I continued to admire the interior of the train station. I had to get a covid test here, which turned out to be useless and for which nobody asked even though I had to pay 50 euros being non-Belgian. And then it was time to leave. Antwerp will still be there some day.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 4, 2022 14:53:35 GMT
I'm really happy to see these pictures of Antwerp. The city made quite an impression on me, so I do recognize lots of what's shown here. I didn't see the Gothic/Moorish stock exchange, though, as I would have certainly remembered that. Of course I remembered the Chinese arch, as it was what I had to pass through to get to my little abode. Here is what municipal lawns look like during the Great Drought of 2022. That's in reference to the penultimate photo in #1. Here is my picture of the area in front of the train station taken in June of 2018. It looked better then, but even so I wrote: You are so right about the drought, Whatagain. All the grass is turning yellow and the little garden where I was in Ghent was really suffering. I don't know how Antwerp is keeping the zillions of public plantings so perky. --
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Post by fumobici on Sept 4, 2022 15:45:42 GMT
Great closing set of images, Antwerp looks well worth seeing. I miss visiting cities in Europe, I'm still not comfortable doing so but maybe before too long. The woman riding the rental bike past the train station is my favorite.
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Post by lugg on Sept 4, 2022 20:01:59 GMT
The train station is magnificent
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Post by bjd on Sept 5, 2022 8:13:57 GMT
I miss visiting cities in Europe, I'm still not comfortable doing so but maybe before too long. Why? Because of covid?
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Post by fumobici on Sept 5, 2022 14:14:55 GMT
Yes. American cities too, for the same reason.
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