Antwerp: A neat city steeped in history, and also modernity 

If we are to be truly honest, the mention of England evokes thoughts of London.

The same holds for France and Paris, Netherlands and Amsterdam, and Germany and Berlin. It is almost instinctive that countries are mostly defined by their capital cities.

But that should not be the case, as my trip to the beautiful city of Antwerp proved two weeks ago. It is most likely that the mention of Belgium makes you think of Brussels but when I spent a week in Antwerp, located 40km north of the capital, I left with a very broadened view of the country’s magnificence.  

Before I start waxing lyrical about my trip there, I must say that the weather was horrible. Usually in late May in most western cities is springtime, with early ciphers of summer. Antwerp, however, was cold all through with rains that made it almost impossible for visitors to explore the city.

But that is where the negativity stops. The thing that blew my mind was how the city has managed to embrace every form of transport means effectively and efficiently. While we grapple with how to sort the transport conundrum in Kampala, Antwerp is an example of how simplicity can solve a seemingly complex matter.

Admittedly they have the trams that operate smoothly on the very roads used by motorists. And observance of traffic lights is such a ritual that it is practiced by the locals every single day. Meanwhile, the city is full of cyclists who are both corporate and working-class. There are designated areas where cyclists store their bikes when they report to work, and it is here that they retrieve them when heading home.

This Flemish region of Belgium is a typically flat piece of land that allows cyclists to go about their errands without a hitch. The cycling culture has gone a long way in not only easing their transport, but also transforming the country into a major hub of cycling champions at Olympic and Tour de France levels.

The road discipline in and around the city means that trams and motorists exist and operate together routinely with minimum fuss. While there I wondered whether Kampala will ever get to a point where individuals can grow the civility and responsibility to use the limited road network we have in a self-restricted manner.

There were no lead cars, no sirens, no pointless and reckless incidents of cars overtaking one another for the sake of it; nothing of the kind. I saw Antwerp residents jogging comfortably in the city centre, which also had cyclists, motorists, trams and pedestrians. And no one was inconveniencing the other. Everything moved seamlessly as if operated by AI.

The buildings in the city are mostly mid-high structures. I noticed that 98 percent of them are mostly seven or eight floors high. The ones which had nine floors were rarities. But they have all been erected with an architectural style that preserves the city’s identity.

I stayed at the Hilton Antwerp hotel, adjacent to the Cathedral of Our Lady. This Unesco World Heritage site was constructed in 1521 and is the largest Gothic church in Belgium, with its tower rising 404ft over the city. It takes 16 people to ring the largest bell in the tower.

As with most western European cities, the vehicles on the roads are majorly of European type. In Antwerp, I saw Mercedes Benz cars, BMWs, Audis, Volvos and Range Rover Sports. The city has a Low Emission Zone. Two years ago, a law was passed allowing only Euro 5 and Euro 6 diesel engines. It also sanctioned Euro 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 petrol cars. Electric and hybrid cars have become increasingly common as the city pursues a carbon-free environment.

Being a black man, I was obviously keen to encounter any blacks or people of African heritage I could chance upon. I travelled to Antwerp to watch the Soudal Open, a DP World Tour golf tournament. But at Rinkven International Golf Course, I only saw one black man – he was a DR Congo native who was working as a security man in the main lounge for the tournament’s guests and sponsors.

When I did some walks through the city, the few blacks I saw were working in security in the designer shops on the high streets. Most of them were of DR Congo origin – Belgium’s former colony. The other Africans I saw were from the Maghreb and looked like Moroccans. They were beggars on the streets.

CHOCOLATES EVERYWHERE

It is illegal to pen an article about a Belgian city without mentioning chocolates. Belgians do love their chocos, and they feed on them like a baby lives on milk.

In my hotel, there was a machine that made chocolate syrup every morning. I have never been a fan of chocolate, and for that matter I resisted the temptation to taste it. But there was always a queue for it at the breakfast buffet. At the Soudal Open, chocolates were served throughout the four days of the competition.

During lunch and dinner, chocolate is never far away from the dessert. The Belgians do live on chocolate. They make it in various forms. They truly love it.

A friend noted that the houses in Antwerp don’t have burglar proofing. It was an observation I wouldn’t have noticed. But I dug deep in my memory to recall if I had seen burglar proofing on my travels in other European cities, and I noticed it is hardly there.

Being the thieves we have become cultivated to be, it is almost a given that a house in Kampala can’t be entered without burglar proof. Perhaps because there are many thieves in our midst, be it the haves and the have-nots.

Antwerp is a city famed for many things; it is the second biggest port in Europe, the most populous municipality in Belgium and the hub of the world’s diamond trade. Antwerp is a destination you would not regret experiencing; it is simplicity personified.

mnamanya80@gmail.com