Day 6 – Antwerp

Finally! A port where the city was accessible on foot! We arrived in Antwerp late afternoon, and we were able to walk to the city center after dinner. The city is so beautiful and lit up at night, showing its grandeur. Grote Markt is the old town square featuring 16th-century guild halls, the Renaissance city hall, and the Brabo Fountain. The work by sculptor Jef Lambeaux refers to the city’s most famous legend, starring the giant Antigone and the Roman hero Brabo. You can see Brabo throwing the giant’s hand, which he has just chopped off, into the Scheldt River. According to some, this ‘hand throwing’ is at the root of the name Antwerp. 

Sam, our Program Director, called us all Vikings. I don’t think Antwerp had anything to fear from us. The only thing we raided were the chocolate shops.

The next day we walked to The Cathedral of Our Lady, the largest Gothic cathedral in Belgium. The cathedral houses artworks by Peter Paul Reubens, some commissioned specifically for the cathedral. The artwork and space are magnificent. But one particular modern installation really struck me.

Ingrid Rosschaert’s artwork in the Antwerp Cathedral is a life-sized child’s dress sculpture titled Esse est Percipi, or To Be Is To Be Perceived. made of crushed white glass and crystal to memorialize victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. It’s displayed in a glass box, because if touched it would shatter. When the artwork was unveiled, the Bishop of Antwerp delivered a poetic reflection titled “Een kleed van kristal” (“A Dress of Crystal”) that contrasts the fragile, modest sculpture with the cathedral’s grander art.

Could you do that, Trust again?

What do you need for that…what can I do?

May I take your hand and look deep into your eye in the

mirror of your soul? Could you bear that?

May I caress you, carefully, dear?

Something or someone wakes, knows your pain,

your anger, your distress.

You are not alone. Never.

  • For the victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church

Sculpture by Ingris Rosschaert, 2013

I have a card with a photo of the dress and the poem on the back in the original language.

From the cathedral we roamed the city, looking for the chocolatier ChoFleur. Every interesting combination of chocolate you could imagine. Even Crème Brulee!

After lunch Liz and I found a fabulous toy store, because of course, the grandbabies must have gifts!

On the way back to the ship, we saw Het Steen, or The Stone, the medieval fortress on the port built in 1225 to protect against Viking raids.  Sam, our Program Director, called us all Vikings. I don’t think Antwerp had anything to fear from us. The only thing we raided were the chocolate shops.

Next Up – Kinderdijk!

Deborah