Day 4

The Our Lady’s Cathedral of Antwerp - reconciles ‘being’ with ‘becoming’. For five centuries, its north tower, which points toward God like a finger, has dominated the silhouette of the city without changing. But during that same period, the Cathedral was repaired and refurnished repeatedly. It assembles the various styles of the times - gothic, renaissance, baroque, rococo, and so on - without ever taking on a definitive form.

The Cathedral harbors, for example, a marble statue of the madonna from the fourteenth century. Some of the wall paintings date from the fifteenth century. The stately devotional statue ‘Our Lady of Antwerp’ in the Mary chapel is Sixteenth century. The four baroque masterpieces by Rubens first saw the light of day in the beginning of the seventeenth century. A tabernacle in the form of the Ark of the Covenant, just like the large clock on the tower above, is eighteenth century. The neogothic decoration stems from the nineteenth century. The sculptures that decorate the main portal were added at the beginning of the twentieth century. And as recently as 1993, a Metzler organ was installed above the south entrance to the ambulatory. www.dekathedraal.be

The World War II Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial - is the only American military cemetery in the Netherlands. The cemetery site has a rich historical background, lying near the famous Cologne-Boulogne highway built by the Romans and used by Caesar during his campaign in that area. The highway was also used by Charlemagne, Charles V, Napoleon, and Kaiser Wilhelm II. In May 1940, Hitler's legions advanced over the route of the old Roman highway, overwhelming the Low Countries. In September 1944, German troops once more used the highway for their withdrawal from the countries occupied for four years.

The cemetery's tall memorial tower can be seen before reaching the site, which covers 65.5 acres. From the cemetery entrance the visitor is led to the Court of Honor with its pool reflecting the tower. At the base of the tower facing the reflecting pool is a statue representing a mother grieving her lost son. To the right and left, respectively, are the Visitor Building and the map room containing three large, engraved operations maps with texts depicting the military operations of the American armed forces. Stretching along the sides of the court are Tablets of the Missing on which are recorded 1,722 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified.

Within the tower is a chapel. The light fixture in the chapel and the altar candelabra and flower bowl were presented by the government of the Netherlands and by the local Provincial administration. Beyond the tower is a burial area divided into 16 plots, where rest 8,301 of our military dead, their headstones set in long curves. A wide, tree-lined mall leads to the flagstaff that crowns the crest.

While looking to see if any of our family was buried here we came across the "Willis E. Asher" grave from Missouri. Mom and dad's neighbor (and relative) Willis "JD" Asher could be named after this man, we will find out when we get home.

City of Antwerp - Antwerp is the largest city in Belgium after Brussels, as well as an important seaport. It lies within the province also know as Antwerp. Its most famous industries are diamonds and fashion.

It is believed that the name of the city comes from the word aanwerp, an old word for a muddy river embankment – this is where it is thought the city was first settled. There is evidence of habitation here from several centuries BC. By medieval times the city had become a significant stronghold of the Holy Roman Empire. Then, by the 1300s, Antwerp had taken full advantage of its prime position on the coast to become an important European trading city.

Antwerp hit hard times, though, when the turmoil caused by the Reformation led to a slump in the economy. However, despite this it retained a flourishing cultural scene, producing many excellent artists and other intellectuals.

Captured by Napoleon and ruled from France from the end of the 1700s to the start of the 1800s, the city saw an enormous expansion of its port, which the Emperor took advantage of due to its closeness to England. The city still remains an important seaport to this day.

Throwing Hand Statue - In the middle of the 'Grote Markt' stands the Brabo fountain. The statue was made by sculptor Jef Lambeaux in 1887. According to a legend, a terrible giant, called Druoon Antigoon, lived on the banks of the river Scheldt in ancient times. Whenever sailors on the Scheldt river refused to pay toll to the giant, he punished them by cutting off their hand. A Roman soldier, Silvius Brabo, managed to kill the giant. Brabo cut off the hand of the giant and threw the hand away in the river.

Hence, according to the legend, the name of the city : hand ( Engl.: hand) -werpen (Engl.: to throw). A nice legend, but untrue. Nevertheless, the 'hand' is the symbol of Antwerp. There are hands in the town flag.