It's been a busy old weekend ...
Friday night I fretted while working out what to wear to the Alderman's Dance.
(An Alderman: a kind of city executive, next in status to a Mayor. Antwerpen has 1 Mayor and 10 Aldermen) This particular Alderman is responsible for tourism, spatial planning, public works, urban development and the economy in the city Antwerpen. A politician elected to the position... I'm still learning.
There were probably about 500 guests; interesting people from the Mayor of Antwerpen to the neighbours around the dance tent ... it was a nice slice of city life and I had a lovely time.
One of the things about moving to this world has been learning to understand the structures and circles my Belgian man moves in. The dance clarified some of it; the boat launch the next day helped some more.
The boat launch was part of a city project that gives the unemployed, and sometimes supposedly unemployable, practical job training and experience as they work on restoring an old Klipperaak (Clipper)that carried cargo on the inland river systems. The launch coincided with a gathering of steamships here in the port, so some were on hand, 'welcoming' the 'Trotter' as she entered the water. It was quite oddly special to watch.
In Istanbul, I was often observed ... I was clearly a foreigner and sometimes it made me feel incredibly visible, and the result of that was that it was rare for me to freely move about with my camera, working unseen to capture people relaxed and themselves. Here, I slip into the crowd, and I have my invisibility back. I loved being out amongst everyone on Saturday, and I'm kind of hopeful about some of the photos I took ...
So you see it, it's a different world, and once again (just as in Turkey), sometimes I feel like Alice, having just slipped down the rabbit hole to take tea with some people I'm getting to know.
If you feel like visiting the city of Antwerpen via the internet, this is a good site ... http://www.visitantwerp.be/indexuk.html
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