Hand Throw

9/24/2013 - Antwerp, Belgium

We mostly came to Antwerp for its legendary beer, but I thought the city had more character than I expected. I enjoyed the 1920s tunnel under the river (above), even though a friend described it as "something the Soviets might have built." The tunnel had wooden escalators. Our first time through, it was silent and a bit bleak. On our way back into the city, it was maybe too loud: crying babies and singing schoolchildren echoed through the tunnel as bicyclists passed us. 

Besides the tunnel, the town square and castle have character to them. The city has adopted a legend about a Roman defeating a giant and throwing his hand into the river ("hand throw" sounds like "Antwerp" in Dutch). A statue in front of the statehouse depicts this bizarre and memorable scene. 

Pictured: St Anna Tunnel under Antwerp's Scheldt River.