travel the world
top Brabo Fountain and façades in Antwerp bottom left Shipping containers en route bottom right Beer, fries and lots of mayo in Antwerp
that’s been transformed into a gallery space, I’m drawn in by an avantgarde art exhibit that seems all the more powerful because of where it’s displayed. And at the Amsterdam Museum, I watch people tread across a glorious multi-hued 40-metre carpet that’s a study in symbology of the different nationalities living in Amsterdam (179!). if you go It’s astoundEmerald Waterways offers river ing. As is the
cruises—on modern-styled ships in which most cabins have floor-toceiling, drop-down windows for fresh-air, balcony-like viewing—from Amsterdam throughout the summer sailing season. The “Highlights of Netherlands & Beauty of Belgium” tour is every spring. emeraldwaterways.ca For more on Amsterdam, see page 13.
contrasting serenity I happen upon in the Begijnhof, an enclosed oasis of sorts in the centre of the city that dates back to the 14th century. The secluded courtyard was once the home of nun-like, single women who formed their own community. It’s this trapped-in-amber quality of a long-gone era that persists as the river cruise departs Amsterdam to explore the “low country” in earnest. The ship glides out of the big city, past commercial ports and
shipping containers stacked like Lego, and leaves the modern world for something mistier, veiled with centuries of light and dark, like some chiaroscuro artwork by the Dutch master Rembrandt (see page 5). At twilight, the orange orb of the sun dips behind silhouetted trees in line with the stark, straight horizon. And at dawn, this flat land, so even and unwavering, slowly reveals itself again, trees still in tidy formation. Still and silent, it’s early morning in
May/June 2017 Just For Canadian dentists
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