Hotel Opera

Antwerp was fun, although the weather was not ideal. I was able to buy an umbrella in town, which was necessary, as the off-and-on rain got pretty bad at times. I had planned on starting my day at the Rubens house, but, due to the swarm of schoolchildren ahead of me (I spent a good part of the day avoiding groups of schoolchildren), I saved it for later.

So, I started out at the Rockox House, which was owned by the local luminary (and Rubens' friend and patron) Nicolaas Rockox. The house contained several paintings and curios from Rockox's time. Afterwards, I headed towards Rubens' grand house, which contained several works by Rubens, his followers, and other artists, including an Annunciation and a work in progress depicting a scene from the life of Henry IV.

After grabbing a bite to eat, I went towards the cathedral. Like many Gothic cathedrals, it had a wealth of detail, including a pair of large altarpieces by Rubens, a golden ark, a wooden pulpit with a variety of birds in the design, and a variety of wooden confessional sculptures.

After exploring the cathedral, I walked around the nearby medieval square, with its wonderfully strange central fountain (it involves the main figure cutting off and throwing a hand).

Finally, I saw the Plantin-Moretus house, the home of a 17th-18th century family in the printing business. The extensive collection contained paintings, manuscripts, copies of books printed by the family, old printing presses, and other tools used in the process.

After heading back to Brussels, I was exhausted and took a long nap before dinner.

Music is playing loudly outside my apartment. I hope I won't have much trouble sleeping...