29 Aug 2012 – Historically Prominent Art City
Mechelen pop 81,927 in an area of 13.02 sq mi/33.71 km2 lies on the major urban and industrial axis Brussels-Antwerp, app 25km from each city. Inhabitants find employment at Mechelen’s southern industrial and northern office estates, as well as at offices or industry near the capital and Zaventem Airport, or at industrial plants near Antwerp’s seaport.
This is an exciting and interesting town, notably a centre for artistic production during the Northern Renaissance with a lovely City Hall.
Around 1200 started the building of the cathedral that is dedicated to St Rumbold at Grote Markt/Large Market square.
Palace of Margaret of Austria while as regent of the Netherlands still raising the latter Charles Quint, then for centuries the Supreme though now a lower Court of Justice.
The Palace of Margaret of York when widowed of Charles the Bold, now the City Theatre; the oldest renaissance building north of the Alps.
Tue: random pix from Mechelen.
How coincident is this, Kathrine, Emily & Melvin are also visiting from KCH. Kiefer is here skpying with his grandmom Lily in KCH… the wonders of high-tech where audio and video are easily available FOC and family brought closer!
A yummy dinner at Restrauant Veilinghof***in Kampenhout to end this delightful stay here in Belgium. Will be off again to catch the flight back to OSL after sunrise today. A million thanks to Angelina, Kurt and Kiefer for everything and hope to see them either in SIN or KCH early 2013.
The grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried all at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls – John Muir