In the 1980s, there was a Belgian football team that used to do very well in European competitions. They were generally known as Malines, and I believe they used to play in red and yellow outfits. I remember the Italian TV commentator mentioning then that you shouldn't call them by that name, as they would be very annoyed. They call themselves Mechelen, in Flemish (Malines being the name of that city in the French language). It was my first ever inkling of the great linguistic divide that threatens to tear Belgium apart.
Little was I to know that, a quarter of a century later, Mechelen would mean much more to me than just a damn good football team. They're pretty much a spent force nowadays as far as football is concerned, but I now know that Mechelen is a wonderful city. It boasts a huge church tower that was only two-thirds completed, due to lack of funds, various other beautiful monumental buildings, the river Dijle, a large and a small beguinage (sorry, begijnhof) which are historical ex residential districts for single women, outdoor cafes, restaurants, museums. The air is filled by the soft playing of church bells. There are schools for learning how to play "the world's largest musical instrument" on a keyboard.
The place simply oozes charm. No wonder that on a sunny weekend recently, I couldn't resist revisiting the place, 'proudly' showing off the place to my family. In between walking tours, we helped ourselves to lots of pizza from a buffet, at the sunlit Grote Markt, the townhall on one side, the huge St Rumbold cathedral on the other, and a police band playing right in front of us.
Great place. I hope to go back again soon.
These are the pictures I took when I visited Mechelen in August last summer.
Little was I to know that, a quarter of a century later, Mechelen would mean much more to me than just a damn good football team. They're pretty much a spent force nowadays as far as football is concerned, but I now know that Mechelen is a wonderful city. It boasts a huge church tower that was only two-thirds completed, due to lack of funds, various other beautiful monumental buildings, the river Dijle, a large and a small beguinage (sorry, begijnhof) which are historical ex residential districts for single women, outdoor cafes, restaurants, museums. The air is filled by the soft playing of church bells. There are schools for learning how to play "the world's largest musical instrument" on a keyboard.
The place simply oozes charm. No wonder that on a sunny weekend recently, I couldn't resist revisiting the place, 'proudly' showing off the place to my family. In between walking tours, we helped ourselves to lots of pizza from a buffet, at the sunlit Grote Markt, the townhall on one side, the huge St Rumbold cathedral on the other, and a police band playing right in front of us.
Great place. I hope to go back again soon.
These are the pictures I took when I visited Mechelen in August last summer.
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