Hannah and SImon at the railway station in Leuven, Belgium. Simon and I were there to join Hannah for her PhD thesis defence at the University of Leuven. A good excuse for an impromptiu family reunion.
Simon at the Lodge in Heverlee, near Leuven, once a hunting lodge and now restored as a bed & breakfast.
Hannah giving her PhD thesis defense before a distinguished panel of architectural scholars and scholarly architects, Universiteitshalle, Leuven, September 30, 2014.
The Jubilee Hall at the Universiteitshalle (a.k.a. Lakenhalle or Drapers’ Hall), Leuven. Built in the 14th century and the site of the university library until it was set on fire by the German army in 1914.
St. Peter's church, Leuven, from the Universiteitshalle.
St. Peter's Church, Leuven. Built in the 15th century, badly damaged in the First and Second World Wars, and recently restored.
Town Hall, Leuven. Built in the 15th century but the statues were added in the 19th century.
Grote Markt, Leuven.
Another view of the Town Hall, Leuven.
The "Fonske" (Fons Sapientiae), Leuven. Drink of it and ye shall be wise.
Simon, Vikram Prakash and Hannah at the Chinese celestial globe in Leuven. It's a 20th century replica; the original is in Beijing, where it was made in the 18th century by a Belgian astronomer.
Simon and Hannah at the Oude Markt, Leuven
Cheese shop in Leuven. Hannah smuggled about 50 Euros of well-wrapped cheese back to S Africa. I wasn't so bold as to try the same thing with US customs.
Hannah and Vikram Prakash in front of the Rubens statue and the cathedral, Antwerp.
Cathedral facade, Antwerp. There were meant to be two towers but construction stopped sfter a fire in the 16th century.
Cathedral nave, Antwerp. The building dates back to the 16th century but the interior was ransacked in the aftermath of the French revolution.
Stained glass window, Antwerp cathedral.
"The Assumption of the Virgin", Peter Paul Rubens, Antwerp Cathedral.
Madonna and child by an anonymous 14th century sculptor, Antwerp Cathedral.
Brabo and Antigoon fountain in front of the town hall, Antwerp. Inspiration for Alex's next synchronized swimminmg routine? But they'd have to leave out Antigoon's severed hand.
Martin in front of the MAS (Museum aan de Stroom), Antwerp
Hannah in the MAS lobby, Antwerp.
Antwerp railway station.
Hannah at Antwerp railway station.
Martin at Antwerp railway station.
Srce, Kiljub! 1970s Yugoslav psychedelic pop-art comic strip, Belgian Comic Strip Center, Brussels.
Of course it wouldn't be the Belgian Comic Strip Center without a Tintin exhibit. Here are Thomson and Thompson. In the original French they're Dupond and Dupont; in Dutch they're Jansen and Janssen.
Martin at the Grand-Place, Brussels.
View from the Place Royale, Brussels.
Rijksmusuem, Amsterdam. I spent a few hours here before catching a flight from Schiphol.
Newly-renovated center court, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Scary figurines from the tomb of Isabella of Bourbon, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Portaits of Giulano and Francesco Giamberti da Sangallo, Piero di Cosimo, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Portrait of Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
The Milkmaid, Johannes Vermeer, Rijksmusuem, Amsterdam.
And on a slightly larger scale... the "Night Watch", Rembrandt van Rijn, Rijksmusuem, Amsterdam. Note the guards on either side.