It’ s show time in flamboyant, arty Antwerp
ANTWERP’S most wanted man has come home. Artist Peter Paul Rubens is back where he belongs. After a year’s restoration, his world-famous self-portrait of 1630 is on display at his former palazzo, the Rubens House, in time for a celebration of his life starting this month.
Rubens Inspires will be a baroquearound-the-clock extravaganza as the Flemish city honours its most illustrious son over the next six months. Also in time for this arts festival are direct flights from London Southend, making Antwerp an easy weekend getaway.
So what’s the baroque all about? Art historians will intone about excess after the austerity of the Reformation.
For most of us, it’s bling. In Antwerp, it means getting to know the bravura style of Rubens, who spent his life in Antwerp and London amassing fame and fortune.
But you don’t have to love art to love this city. And its historic heart of Gothic spires is ideal for ambling in the summer sunshine. I sat in the main square, Grote
Markt, enjoying the melodies of the cathedral bells. As you wander old alleyways, it’s easy to forget this medieval city is also a modern metropolis: Europe’s second-largest port and an important fashion capital.
We stayed at the four-star Hotel Rubens, just off the main square, within walking distance of all the main sights. For the best (and free) view of the city, we scrambled up the escalators to the rooftop of MAS, the museum of Antwerp, in the popular Eilandje area. If you have the stamina, call in at the newly-refurbished Snijders & Rockox House, to see how fat-cat merchants
from the Golden Age lived. Double back along the banks of the Scheldt, and you’ll be hungry enough to appreciate dinner at Mr. Hulot (Grote Pieter Potstraat).
Remember that Belgium is a land of chocolate, chips and craft beer — so pack elasticated waistbands.
We were directed to the master chocolatier G. Bastin (Blauwmoezelstraat) next to the cathedral, for topquality pralines. From there it was a few steps to the restaurant, Elfde Gebod, (11th Commandment) on Torfbrug, where the waiter instructed: ‘Eat, drink and be merry.’ You’ll be thankful for that forgiving waistband.