Our concerns were more esoteric. A visit to the Cathedral of Our Lady, a broad, beautifully spacious, church of 14th-16th century date with its clean, extended, Gothic line, the whiteness of recent restoration and local Baroque incursion offered a freshness unseen in our two week odyssey. Here we could breathe. As a bonus are two Peter Paul Rubens paintings, The Descent from the Cross (1612-14) and the Raising of the Cross (1609-10), multi-paneled dynamite of vigorous color and poise which could only encourage contemplation. Slightly later in date is the pulpit, an exquisitely carved wood sculpture.
Other delights took us through the late medieval heart of the city. Reference to her diamond trade which still accounts for 70% of economic wealth, as a 15th century center of the cloth trade, Napoleon's easing of the passage along the Schelde and her civic architecture places Antwerp as a key component in our European Odyssey.
Essential R and R included a tasting of the town's eau de vie made from juniper berries and a search for exquisite Belgian chocolate and lace. Satiated, we returned to the Caledonian Star where the guest list was newly extended with the arrival of Lindblad Expeditions senior executives.
