I did not go to Antwerp to see the Castle, but Steen, or Stone, Castle is hard to miss even though it is much smaller than it used to be. It dates to the 13th Century. The building now serves as a maritime museum.
One of four Rubens paintings in the cathedral, The Raising of the Cross
Churches and art are two of the things I enjoy viewing on vacations. I do not believe one has to be religious to enjoy viewing churches and their artwork. Castles, churches, art museums, gardens...What is your pleasure?
Bonus: Daylily 'Siloam Amazing Grace'
This old castle looks like it would be nice to tour. I love to see all that you mention. I am not religious but one has to be a fool not to go into the great cathedrals of Durope and not be awed by its sheer beauty and what the people did centuries before. I love the art so much and Rubens is one of my favourites
ReplyDeleteThere are four great Rubens in the church. I should post more about them in the future.
DeleteAnother fabulous attraction! Never made it to Belgium either. Sigh.... I agree with you about not having to be religious to appreciate old churches and artwork. It's about architecture and history, for me.
ReplyDeleteI would love to go back and revisit some of the places I saw 50 years ago, now that I know more about architecture.
DeleteNow that's a castle!
ReplyDeleteYes. Doesn't it look like knights should be riding out on their steeds?
DeleteI'm really loving the tour
ReplyDeleteGlad you are coming along with me.
DeleteIt is amazing how our ancestors could build such fabulous castles and cathedrals. I saw a lot of cathedrals in Malta which were worth visiting. Don't remember visiting many of either in the other countries I visited. Did visit a few such in Paris I remember. My parents were not particularly interested and I was too young to develop an interest on my own. I am visiting them with you now.
ReplyDeleteNot only that they built them, but that they still survive.
DeleteThe castle looks like somethiung from a fairy tale! Another great visit.
ReplyDeleteAmble Bay's fabulous shops!
Very romantic castle! I'm not religious but I definitely appreciate the beauty and architecture of churches.
ReplyDeleteI had to chuckle when I saw Martha's comment because that's exactly the thought I had when I saw this post, "Now THAT'S a castle!!" Classic, iconic.
ReplyDeleteTrudy @ Reel Focus
Food in Film: S’mores
I assume that demon was a bad guy? That's one of the most beautiful small castles I've yet to see...
ReplyDeleteCalen~
Impromptu Promptlings
A to Z Challenge Letter S
He is a shape shifting trickster, so, yeah, a bad guy.
DeleteLove the photographs. Wish I could have been there with you - it looks like a marvelous trip. I also enjoy visiting churches, to enjoy the architecture and art.
ReplyDeleteSo many wonderful places to add to my Places to Visit list!
ReplyDeleteI did some work in Antwerp once, but I wasn't there long enough to check out the sights. I loved your prhasing 'it is much smaller then it used to be" - always makes me think of things you first saw when you were a kid that are smaller now you've grown. Like Mars bars :)
ReplyDeleteThey probably did shrink the size of candy. They've shrunk the size of everything, which might make an interesting post. My 36 yo son was standing in his old bedroom yesterday and commented that it used to be much bigger, lol.
DeleteBeautiful buildings! As much as I enjoy visiting historic buildings and like viewing art, I love nature. I can sit or walk for hours amongst birds, trees, or near an ocean. It fits into how I ended up in Ecuador.
ReplyDeleteEmily | My Life In Ecuador | Sunsets near the equator
Interesting how the castle is now kind of squeezed into the city.
ReplyDeletehttp://sagecoveredhills.blogspot.com/2017/04/s-is-for-summer-constellations-scorpius.html
Now there's a castle that actually looks like a castle! :D (Or rather, the way people imagine castles in fairy tales)
ReplyDeleteThe Multicolored Diary: WTF - Weird Things in Folktales
Exactly what I thought.
DeleteCastles, churches, museums, art galleries, gardens, I like them all.
ReplyDeleteThanks to your blog, I can see so much.
I'm with you Denise, I think churches and castles both hold so much interesting history and are beautiful places to visit. I love the statue of the giant in front of the palace and the church looks really interesting. When we went to Barcelona the one thing I had to see was Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, the unfinished cathedral.
ReplyDeletePamela @ Highlands Days of Fun