From the archives #67

Belgium (2015)

This guy put smiles on the faces of both kids AND adults. A photo from June last year taken in the streets of Antwerp.

Happy weekend!

My cappuccino in... Antwerp

We had such a rainy day today.. it made me look forward to warm and sunny days! This photo was taken in June last year when we spent a few days in Antwerp, Belgium. Good memories :)

Antwerp Central waiting room hall

Following up on yesterday´s post these are 2 more views from Antwerp Central Station, taken from inside the waiting room hall which is gigantic! Above is the clock at the upper level.

And this is the impressive entrance hall.

I am taking a blogging-break, see you in October. Stay well!

Antwerp Central

Definitely not to miss during a stay in Antwerp is a visit to the main railway station, even if you don't arrive by train. The original station building was constructed between 1895 and 1905.

During a reconstruction between 1998 and 2007 the station was transformed from a terminus to a through station. This allows high-speed trains to travel through Antwerp Central without the need to turn around. The station is now widely regarded as the finest example of railway architecture in Belgium.
I'll show you some more photos tomorrow.

TASTE LIFE

TASTE LIFE 

IT´S DELICIOUS

SMILE 

IT CONFUSES PEOPLE

I looked for something positive to post, with all the awful things going on in the world today..
These two windows were above a café in the Papenstraatje in Antwerp, last June.

Girl on an Antwerp mural

I was pretty sure about the location of this mural (in the Lange Nieuwstraat) but unfortunately I haven't been able to find any more information about the girl on the mural, the creator etc.

Still a nice enough piece to show you.

Linking to Monday Mural.

Whales mural

Today another mural that we spotted in Antwerp, last June. Apparently the find of a whale bone in the Antwerp subsoil inspired street artist Larsen Bervoets (1979) into making this great mural.

The wall is of one of the houses in a small street called Houtenbrug in the Schipperskwartier (Sailor's District).

Linking to Monday Mural.

Passage mural

Continuing with the Comic Book Mural Trail in Antwerp we are at the Eiermarkt, where on request a mural was created -called 'Passage'- picturing the relation between nature and the city. The characters painted here are carrying plants and flowers that they just bought.

And this girl with her hair blowing in the wind refers to the 'Boerentoren', a tower and drafty spot in the city.

These murals are created by Jan van der Veken (1975), a Belgian illustrator who specializes in book covers and posters. He works internationally for both large and small clients in the cultural and commercial sector.

I'm linking to Monday Mural.

Badboot

The ´Badboot´ is a floating swimming pool at the Kattendijkdok in the Antwerp district ´Het Eilandje´. This photo was taken from the panorama roof of the MAS building.

And this is the Badboot seen from the ground. Nobody was swimming when I took this photo (unforturnately!), but it is advised to make a reservation if you want to swim here as a maximum of 160 people are admitted in the pool at the same time. With a ticket you are allowed to swim for an hour.
In Winter the Badboot is used as a skating rink.

The chicken

I'm always looking out for original signs, and found this one above the entrance of 'De Kip' ('The Chicken'), a steak & grill house in Antwerp. I read on their website that it has been a restaurant here for 50 years already! Well, the chicken looks a bit aged; maybe she has been looking out on the city streets from her high spot here since the beginning? I'd like to think so :)

For more signs around the world please visit signs, signs.

A good idea

Melkmarkt, Antwerp. When the weather is nice and there are no other important things to do, it's definitely a good idea to spend time at a place like this.

Cordelia mural

This mural at the Keizerstraat in Antwerp was made on request by the University of Antwerp, and pictures comic book image Cordelia in a variety of poses while studying. On the white wall at the background all university faculties are written.

Cordelia is a creation by Ilah (1971, alias of Inge Heremans), a Flemish cartoonist and comic book writer. Cordelia tells about the life of a Flemish girl who makes people smile because of her frankness, her ability to put things in perspective, and her clumsiness.
The wall is part of the Antwerp Comic Book Mural Trail.

I'm linking to Monday Mural.

A wreath made of..

..teapots, cups and saucers! We spotted it on a balcony above an Art & Antique shop in Antwerp. It really gives another meaning to the word ´recycling´..

Conscience mural

Like the previous Mondays we follow the Antwerp Comic Book Mural Trail, and the one today is Conscience by Jan Bosschaert (1957), a Belgian comics artist, painter and illustrator.

Hendrik Conscience (1812-1883) was a Belgian author. He is considered as the pioneer of Dutch-language literature in Flanders, writing at a time when Belgium was dominated by French among the upper classes, in literature and government.

On this mural a surprised looking Conscience looks down from the City Library on a fountain that spits out letters instead of water!

It's location is the Wolstraat. For more info about the mural trail click HERE, and if you like to see the other murals I posted from the trail just click on the label at the bottom of this post.

I'm linking to Monday Murals.

Sunday bells

Antwerp.

Dressed bicycles

These 2 kid's bicycles were the objects of a creative person! And it looked like the yarn bombing was just done. It's not a new thing obviously, but I like seeing this kind of street art. How about you?

Enjoy your weekend :)

Upside down..

..at the Antwerp ZOO!  ;)

I´m linking to Weekend Reflections.

Traffic signs

It was quite a collection of signs that they put here to block the entrance of this street in Antwerp!
('Uitgezonderd plaatselijk verkeer' means 'Except local traffic'.)

I'm linking to signs, signs.

Kaas Mural

This mural at the Korte Nieuwstraat in Antwerp pictures the cover of the comic book "Kaas" ("Cheese") from 2008, by Dick Matena. "Kaas" originally is a novel from 1933 by Willem Elsschot, a classic in Flemish literature. 

The drawing shows a man called Laarmans carrying a bag with round cheeses, who crosses the Grote Markt with the City Hall and the Brabo Fountain in the background. The story tells about an Antwerp office-clerk (Laarmans), who all of a sudden decides to change his life and starts his own branch office in Edam cheese.

Dick Matena (1943) is a Dutch comics writer and cartoonist. At the age of 17 (in 1960) he starts working at the Toonder studios, and helps with the drawing projects of Tom Poes, or Tom Puss in English.

The mural is part of the Comic Book Mural Trail in Antwerp.

I'm linking to Monday Mural.

Coffee made me do it

"Every now and then you need a good reason why you did something. Whether good or bad. When all else fails, blame it on the powers of coffee." That is one of the lines from a design called Words Brand USA, so I just learned.
The initial reason for me to take this picture however was the carrier bicycle; note the baby carriage in there! And I wonder if anyone knows who the gentleman in the round photo is?

The street reflecting here is a side street of the Meir, in Antwerp.

I'm linking to Weekend Reflections.