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….
