27.11.06

higher...


Last Friday we went out with some friends to go and eat in the famous (or notorious?) Chicago Tower on the left bank of our famous Antwerp river. The cultural organisation “Antwerpen Open” organised its “Higher/Plus Haut”-festival about all the different towers in Antwerp. In this residential tower, you could go and have dinner with a family that lives in this building, usually people not originating from Belgium. We ended up with a very nice and friendly Pakistani family, that moved two years ago to Belgium. At first we were all very uncomfortable but once seated and the delicious food arrived, we exchanged our ‘life’-experiences. Needless to say that they had a lot more to talk about than us spoiled little brags…

Afterwards we were invited by the organisation to go and have dessert on the 25th floor of this building. There you had the most amazing view on the town – really breathtaking… Antwerp from a very different perspective.

I think – and here’s another one of my theories – that a town, in order to have a common sense of identity, very much needs a place where it can have an overview of the town from above. A sort of geographical high-point from where to look and admire the town that also can function as a reference point. Barcelona has its mountains, Edinburgh has Arthur’s Seat and the Castle, Berlin has its television tower, the Eiffel tower in Paris… Cities that lack this geographical overview are difficult for me to really love, like London, that I really love visiting, but I never can get an overview (maybe that’s just me or its size); or Brussels which misses this reference point as well…

Further highlights of the weekend, I hear you ask? New shoes that immediately turned into great dancing shoes on the after-party of the Proms in Rotterdam. Because of this, I unfortunately missed Sarah’s birthday party, but I promised myself to make it up to her this week by inviting her for dinner, although she does not know yet… on Sunday, not much happened because the effects of too much champagne kicked in and the only thing I saw on Sunday was the sofa and the TV…

6 opmerkingen:

Miss K zei

To get a great overview of London, you'll have to take a turn in the 'London Eye', if it's still standing there. In Brussels you ca

Miss K zei

oops, pressed the button too quickly!

In Brussels you can get a great view when you visit the Atomium.

Anoniem zei

yes, I was going to say the atomium (although i think I never climber there...).

And yes, in barcelona you have a very nice view from the mountains. My favourite place is from the top of Parc Güell, from where all the city lies at your feet as a carpet that ends in the see... If you ever come, i show you!

Anoniem zei

hej ik zat zondag wel tussen de tv en de sofa, dus je hebt wel iets gezien, misschien zelfs iets te veel...

M

Anoniem zei

u look happy and balanced!

Sarah zei

Hm? Uitgenodigd? Ikke? Weet ik idd niks van :)

nog eens KEISUPERHARD bedankt voor jullie fantastische cadeautjes!! x