Along the river Schelde, Antwerp

If you're on Saint Annabeach its a strange feeling to see the industry on the other side of the river Schelde. Its not really pretty, at night however it looks like if there is a whole city on the other side. It looks like a giant xmas tree.

Yes Antwerp city has a white sandy beach on the left bank of the city. In summer it can be really crowded. Of course it is not allowed to swim in the river Schelde, it is to dangerous and not really clean. Behind the beach is the open air swimmingpool De Molen (The Mill).

The town of Antwerpen and the Schelde river are inseperable. This river made the fortune of the city and is still responsible for the economical welfare of the harbour. Did you know that the Schelde has tidal influences? Yes, it's still quite far from the open sea (around 50 kilometres) but the difference between high and low tide is still on average som decimeters.

Schelde

Coming out of the "Suikerrui" you can go up a ramp which leads you to a lookout over the Schelde river. A very nice view on this for Antwerp so important river. Antwerp has the second largest harbour of Europe. What you see here is only the place where the cruiselines stop to drop off their passengers. More up north you'll find the big harbour.

On the board of the river the Schelde you find "de wandelterrassen"You have the southern and northern terrace you have a magnificent view on the Schelde and the left bank of the city.At the end of each terrace you can have a drink or/and eat at places called "zuiderterras and noorderterras"

The first appartment blocks on Antwerpen lo ( left bank ) .
I think there's nothing more to say about this pic.

yahoo

yahoo

yahoo

Antwerp - or Antwerpen as it is in Dutch - was often written as 'Hantwerpen' even into the seventeenth century. Hardly surprisingly really, because a ccording to an old legend that was just as it should be.
That legend has it that around the beginning of our calendar, the giant Antigoon called the shots at the bend in the River Scheldt, demanding a heavy toll from each passing shipmaster. Those who refused to pay had a hand chopped off. But an end came to this wicked enterprise when the Roman warrior Silvius Brabo, slew the giant, chopped off its hand and threw it into the River Scheldt. Hence: 'Hantwerpen', 'hand throwing'. The H disappeared, 'Antwerpen' stuck.

So much for the legend. In reality the name Antwerpen may derive from the 'aanwerp', an alluvial mound in the River Scheldt, level with the Steen, the site of an early settlement. That alluvial mound disappeared at the end of the nineteenth century, when the quays of the Scheldt were straightened.

yahoo

yahoo

This is also called the French opera. Since the French didn't understand any of the opera's in the Flemish opera, since the spoken language there was is dutch only, they decided to build their own opera building. It's a stunning piece of architecture, even though it doesn't look as dramatic as the Flemish one, it's still beautifully made.