I loved this ‘Poem on the Underground’ by Young Poet on the Underground Rebecca Hawkes. Let’s not forget that this amazing tapestry is propaganda, after all…

Dear Readers, as long-time members of the British Museum we were able to get tickets for the Bayeux Tapestry, currently being exhibited in London for the first time. The show is now sold out until the end of the year, but the next booking period will open on 21st October for viewing in the early part of 2027 – you can sign up for information here, which I would recommend. Members get an early shot at tickets on 6th October.

Why should you go? Well, for me the fact that this tapestry has survived for almost a thousand years is reason enough, but what stunned me when I saw it was the wealth of detail, and the insight into how people lived – everything from preparing a feast to building a ship. We see people hoisting up their clothes to wade out to a ship, carrying chain mail, building castles,  roasting chickens and pigs on a rotisserie. We see houses burned with a woman and child inside. We, famously, see Halley’s comet giving the blessing to Harold’s coronation. And when the battle comes we see the brutality, horses overturned, people with missing limbs, and bodies being stripped naked for their armour. I didn’t expect to be moved by what is, after all, an embroidered cartoon, but I was.

So, now that I’ve (hopefully) convinced you that it’s worth a look, here are a few practical tips.

• If the organisation continues as it was today, there will be two queues, one for general admission and one for people with Bayeux tapestry tickets (and members). The ticket-holder queue is usually much shorter.
• There are two entrances, the main one and the one at the back on Monmouth Street. The latter is, again, usually much shorter.
• Don’t bring big bags, it just slows up the security queue.
• Once in, it’s worth checking who is being allowed in – on a weekday morning we were allowed straight in, even though our tickets were for a later time slot.
• People are managed in groups of ten, with a couple of useful videos first, and then you move along the balcony, so you can see the tapestry from above at a distance while you wait.
• No photography allowed, no, not even with your phone.
• The tapestry is displayed flat, but you get a really good view.
• However, you are told to keep moving, which most people do (though there are always the ones who think it’s appropriate to stop at one panel for ten minutes). You can move round them, however. Part of me thinks a small cattle prod would be a good idea, but maybe that’s just me being mean. If everyone shuffles along slowly, everyone gets a good look. It’s only fair.
• I think that the exhibition has been managed very well, in spite of some online moans about queues etc. My overall advice would be to get there at least an hour before your time slot – it will probably take less time than this, but if you get in early you can always have a coffee/browse the bookshop/see if you can get in early. This is probably the British Museum’s biggest exhibition since Tutankhamun back in the 1970s, so a bit of queueing is inevitable. But what an amazing thing to see! And cheaper than getting the train to Bayeux for sure.

Slender Blue-Winged Cricket (Sphingonotus caerulans )Photo By Andreas Eichler, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44094274

Dear Readers, a while back I wrote about the impact of climate change on the range of insects that arriving in the UK, and last week there was an article in The Guardian outlining some of the unusual species that have been cropping up, particularly on the south coast. First up is the impressive grasshopper in the photo above, which is found in northern France and Scandinavia – it was found at Colne Point, in Essex, and was thought to be the first to arrive that wasn’t a stowaway on a ship. It’s easy to forget that many grasshoppers can fly considerable distances (at least until you remember locusts).

Big-eyed Bug (Geocoris megacephalus) Photo By Emanuele SantarelliDepicted place: 64021 Giulianova TE, Italia (42°46′51″N 13°57′19″E / 42.7808016489°N 13.9553688447°E) – https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/148390417, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=110808992

A Big-eyed Bug was also found at Colne Point – this was a new species for the UK. It’s a beneficial predator that feeds on a number of moth larvae that are crop pests. As with all these insects, the question is always a) will it survive the winter, and b) how will it fit in to existing ecosystems? The general view is that the big problem is usually organisms that have been deliberately introduced, but it will be fascinating to see.

A number of new moths arrive every month, it seems: retired secretary Jackie Harmer set up her moth trap for the first time, and within a week had found a first for the UK – the Autumnal Rustic (Ocide pergrata) which normally lives in Spain.

Jackie Harmer’s Autumnal Rustic (Ocide pergrata) Photo from https://www.facebook.com/groups/337280795230888/posts/1353889086903382/

And David Cousins, who lives in north Essex, found a Spotted Seal Moth (Enolmis acanthella), not just a previously unknown species, but the first representative of its whole genus, in his moth trap. The caterpillars of this unusual moth feed on lichen.

Enolmis acanthella (Photo By Jean.claude – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60237989)

What occurs to me is that most people don’t pay a lot of attention to insects (or plants), and so who knows how many other species are going unnoticed? It will be interesting to see how things develop over the next few years. This year has been a sensational year for hummingbird hawk moths, for example, with people who have never seen one before being absolutely stunned by them. Anything that encourages people to pay attention has got to be a good thing….

Hummingbird Hawk Moth

Rowan berries on Huntingdon Road

Well Readers, I’m finally home after nearly a month of travel and, fun as it was, it’s really lovely to sleep in my own bed. But in my absence autumn seems to have kicked in with a vengeance, and I’ve rarely seen such a display of berries. Presumably it’s partly due to the hot weather, but I’m sure the birds will be pleased regardless.

Crape Myrtle is having a second flowering

It fascinates me that just as some plants are  gearing up with fruit, others are flowering, sometimes for the second time, like the Crape Myrtle above, which was magnificent a few months ago, and which is having a second go now.

Passionflower

The Passionflowers are in flower, though some are also displaying their ripe orange fruits.

And on the corner of Summerlee Avenue there’s a magnificent ivy bush in full flower. There are lots of honeybees, but no ivy bees just yet. I shall keep an eye open.

Michaelmas Daisies

The Michaelmas daisies are in full bloom.

And then it’s off to Cherry Tree Wood, where some ditches and berms have been constructed to try to alleviate the annual flooding problems.

The wood is looking good as it puts on its autumn colours…

But wait – what’s this that’s looking at me?

I rather like this graffiti – at least it’s on dead wood, not on living trees, and  it requires a lot of skill.  And then there’s this mysterious ‘installation’…

I hope somebody comes by and rescues teddy from a life of drunken debauchery soon!

Dear Readers, today I’ll be heading home via Brussels, so here are a few photos that didn’t seem to fit in anywhere else this week – particularly some of the ‘weeds of Antwerp’. Normal service will be resumed on Monday!

A familiar friend – Trailing Bellflower

A modern house squeezed into a triangular site…

Health and safety are not always a priority 🙂

A pyramid near the Asia Dock. Gawd knows what this is.

Another Antwerp ‘weed’ – Clerodendrum (Glory Bower)

Historic cranes of Antwerp

Delightful Dachshund spoon rest.

House on General Van Merlenstraat

Holy moly Readers, we had a lot of fun today wandering around the Art Nouveau area in Antwerp (technically Zurenburg). There were so many stunning buildings, all beautifully preserved and full of intricate detail. Have a look at some of them below…

On the corner are the ‘Four Seasons’ houses – as the name suggests, each house is decorated to represent a different season.

Further down Waterloostraat, there are houses with mosaics representing Napoleon and Nelson (hough I somehow missed Nelson)

And if you think these were impressive, wait until you see what’s on Cogels Osylei, where the houses are truly enormous.

But wait! Look what’s tucked in towards the top of the road…

Apparently this house is meant to represent the 20th century, which I suppose it does, and better something so individual than a pastiche. Still, for those of us who fancy something grander, one of the mansions was recently for sale at a mere 1.3m Euro, which, since it has seven bedrooms, feels something of a bargain compared to London prices.

And when you’ve finished, you can head off to Dageraadplaats, with a church on one side, cafes and restaurants all around the edge, and a playground and basketball court in the middle for the young folk. Plus, a number 11 tram will take you all the way home. What a great week we’ve had in Antwerp1 Highly recommended.

The Port Authority Building, Antwerp (Zaha Hadid)

Dear Readers, today we went on a boat trip around the port of Antwerp, and there is no doubt that the building in the photo above is probably the most controversial edifice that we passed. The Port Authority Building is the last thing designed by British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, and was completed in 2016, the year of her death.The commission was a complicated one. The building below housed the fire station, which had to be integrated into the design, and the building itself was a reconstruction of a Hanseatic League house, which was also protected. At the time, the different departments of the Port Authority were scattered all over Antwerp, and the brief included the need to bring up to 500 employees together on one site.

Construction was surprisingly quick (it started in 2012) due to the ease of bringing in materials via the extensive docks and the river Schelde – it only took four years to create. The glass sparkles in the sunlight, picking up the reflections from the water, and referencing Antwerp’s role as the epicentre of the diamond trade. The shape of the new building was designed to resemble the bow of a sailing ship. Energy efficiency was also key – some of the glass is opaque, to give protection from the sun, and there’s a complex heating/cooling system involving an 80 metre borehole down into the dock. I would love to know how the building works as an office, and have searched in vain for some interior photos that I can share with you, but alas they’re all under licence. But you can get a good idea here.

Photo by By Torsade de Pointes – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61517669

Personally, I think it’s a strikingly brave building, but then, as we’ve seen, Antwerp has a number of intriguing new buildings alongside its medieval city centre, such as the new MAS museum that we visited on Sunday.

MAS

And, from talking to someone in the lift (like you do), we found out that there’s a design festival called ‘Us By Night‘ on from this evening, featuring a gathering of creative people from all over Europe. You might think Antwerp is all about Rubens and beer, but there’s a lot happening here.

Dear Readers, what a quirky place Antwerp is! Today we headed off to Mercator Ortellius House, where the story of Antwerp in the 16th Century is narrated via six ‘immersive’ shows. I wasn’t expecting a lot, to be honest – these immersive things can be a bit hit and miss – but this was very well done. We learned about Ortellius, who lived in the house and compiled the first atlas, about Plantin-Moretus, who printed that first atlas amongst many, many other books, and about how the liberal city of Antwerp eventually succumbed to iconoclastic riots during the reign of Philip II of Spain, who ruled the Low Countries at the time. More to the point, the show features a ginger cat, so I’m not complaining.

And then we wandered off to the Stadspark, which seems to be three-quarters fenced-off, but which features a German bunker. My husband never met a bunker he didn’t like, so this was a must-see. It’s a German 622 Command Bunker, for those interested in the detail. John says that normally these were buried, so it’s interesting to see one in the open.

There’s a plaque on the wall of the bunker commemorating Robert Vekemans, who worked out a way of getting behind the Germans and clearing the way for the advance to liberate Antwerp. From 1944 the bunker was a Red Cross station, providing medical help to soldiers and civilians.

The park itself has a lot of similarities with a London park – the horse chestnuts are brown and crinkly, jackdaws and parakeets call from the trees, children fall off their scooters etc etc. However, one creature is notable by its absence, and even my husband noticed it.

“Where”, he asked, “Are the squirrels”?

Well, the Belgians have been very strict about not letting any grey squirrel populations get out of hand by culling them at the first opportunity. However, they are also doing some very interesting research on what makes grey squirrels such successful species, particularly in urban environments, and one study points out that there is a behaviour difference between squirrels in their natural environment, and when they are ‘invasive’. Grey squirrels tend to be much more social and tolerant of one another out of their home environment – maybe this is similar to humans clustering together when in a strange place, or when they feel threatened. This study is believed to be the first to look at squirrel ‘personality’, which is interesting in itself – not so long ago, scientists were reluctant to credit any species other than ourselves with personality, and now it’s cropping up everywhere. It makes perfect sense – in any population you need bold individuals and shy individuals, stay-at-homes and adventurers, because you never know when the environment is going to change, and need your particular superpowers. However, so far the grey squirrels of Antwerp (and indeed of Belgium) have not naturalised due to the stringent eradication programme. On the other hand, I didn’t see any red squirrels, though there have been several attempts to reintroduce them into Antwerp parks where they were previously present. Maybe these little guys just really don’t like urban environments, though I did see them running about quite happily in the Botanical Garden in Copenhagen.

Anyhow, now we’re home, and considering tomorrow’s boat trip around the Port of Antwerp. See you there!

Dear Readers, the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp is the largest Gothic building in Benelux, and so today, our 25th wedding anniversary, we decided to go and investigate. Napoleon referred to the inside of the spire as being like lace, and the interior of the cathedral has an ethereal quality which is very uplifting.

The building of the cathedral started in 1325, and although the first stage of construction finished in 1521, it was never truly finished. The cathedral was supposed to have two towers of equal height, but one only got up to the third ‘storey’, where it has remained.

The big draw for many people is the art: there are a number of paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, which have a muscular physicality which makes them both impressive and difficult to look at.

The Descent From the Cross by Peter Paul Rubens (1612-1614)

This was an interesting piece, however…it shows the artist, Belgian sculptor Jan Fabre, at lifesize, balancing a cross on his hand. It was chosen by parish priest Bart Paepan, and is the first new piece of art installed in the Cathedral since 1924. Here’s what Paepan had to say:

“A man bears an enormous wooden cross on his right-hand palm. He is not a prophet, nor an apostle, a martyr, or a saint. He is someone who does what we invite every visitor of the cathedral to do, regardless of his background or his convictions. Take the cross in your hands, a token of the God that is celebrated here, a token of his love for the whole of humankind, a token of the engagement that he asks from all his followers. Take up the cross and balance it. Perhaps you will not succeed in holding it upright. Perhaps it is too heavy or too difficult. Perhaps you should try again later. Perhaps you don’t like it. Just let it down then. Who knows—you may succeed and feel right. Then it could be that you have found a goal and a meaning in your life.” (from here)

The Man Who Bears the Cross by Jan Fabre (1958 – ) Photo from https://www.dekathedraal.be/en/man-who-bears-cross

Another extraordinary feature was this pulpit, carved in wood by Michiel Van der Voort the Elder in 1713. At the top, an angel is announcing the word of God, while birds, cherubs, fruit and leaves decorate the rest of the carving. It came originally from the Abbey of St Bernardus in Hemiksem, a province close to the City of Antwerp, and includes carvings of the four apostles.

What an extraordinary place! And its peace and serenity were just the thing, after one of ‘those nights’. In succession I was awoken by:

• A bit of ‘urban vibrance’ aka some drunken students singing in the street
• A delivery of some building materials at circa 2 a.m
• A tom cat serenading his beloved
• A very aggravated blackbird
• Waste being picked up at circa 4 a.m.
• The builders on the adjacent hotel extension starting work at 7 a.m.

It seems a bit strange that it was all so busy on an innocent Monday night, but there we go…no doubt I’ll sleep like a log tonigh!

Well, Readers, after seeing Meerkats in the wild in South Africa just over a week ago, here they are again in Antwerp Zoo, enjoying the sunshine with minimal risk of being eaten by jackals or eagles. The Zoo is a very leafy spot right next to the Central Station, and I was impressed by the size of some of the London Plane trees.

The cafe is right opposite the Flamingoes, who have had two chicks this year…

And then there were some Markhor, mountain sheep from the Himalayas and the national animal of Pakistan. What a wise old face!

I suspect that, much as at London Zoo, Antwerp Zoo struggles with some of its architectural heritage, such as the extraordinary Egyptian pavilion. It was founded in 1843, and the pavilioin was built in 1856. I’m never quite sure how I feel about zoos, but there are lots of bright and airy outdoor spaces here, and I suspect that there has been a real effort to make the most of a smallish urban site.

But the big new aviary, which I would say is twice the size of the Snowdon Aviary in London, feels like a huge success, with a wide range of birds flying around, nesting and exhibiting natural behaviours, and sparrows even breaking in for a bath.

When we left the zoo, we headed back to Central Station, to have a proper look. Blimey.

It’s more like a cathedral than a train station.

The overall effect was somewhat marred by this, but it’s nice to have somewhere to get a sandwich I suppose…

The very helpful man in Tourist Information told us that the marble used in the station is Belgian marble, which doesn’t exist any more, possibly because it was all used here. It’s very fine indeed…

And here is a photo from the outside…

Photo by By Fred Romero from Paris, France – Antwerpen – Station Antwerpen-Centraal, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76862517

We hadn’t had the best impression of the station as when we arrived on Saturday, one of the up escalators was broken, which meant we had to hump our suitcases up three steep flights of stairs. I wasn’t much help, what with my walking stick and all, so John carried both of them, and a lovely middle-aged lady offered to help John carry them up which was kind but not good for the ego. Goodness knows how someone with a pram would have coped, as the lift was out as well. Never mind, this is a truly spectacular spot, well worth a visit even if you don’t have a train to catch.

And tomorrow we may well visit the real cathedral, seen here on the right….