Mechelen is a short train ride from Gare du Nord. So short in fact that in Australia we wouldn’t call Mechelen a town as much as we would call it a suburb. But such are the differences in scale between the countries.
Sunday rates on the train means Mechelen costs only €11.60 for two people return. In under twenty minutes we were at Mechelen station. Mechelen has two stations, Mechelen and Mechelen Nekkerspoel. Nekkerspoel is slightly closer to the historic centre of the town, but I recommend you get off the train at Mechelen. That way you are forced to make your way to the centre via a boardwalk along the canal.
We arrived on a beautiful sunny Easter Sunday. The walk along the canal was divine. There was a quietness, a stillness about it (apart from the creaking of the boardwalk as we walked along). There are many fantastic buildings along the canal that look as though they would be wonderful places in which to live.
As you walk along, in the distance you can see the mighty spire of the cathedral that dominates the skyline of the town. That is a landmark that gives our wanderings direction. St Rumbold’s Cathedral – the spire is 97 metres tall. When we see it getting close we exit the boardwalk and cross a bridge, past an area of cafes, restaurants and pubs that are just starting to get the afternoon clientele wandering in.
As with so many Belgian towns, the route to the centre is dotted with historic buildings that the Belgians take for granted. For Australians, buildings that have something on them denoting that they were built in the 13th century is a big deal, given that there were no buildings in Australia until almost the 19th century.
Presently we arrive at the cathedral. The spire is certainly a sight to behold. The interior is equally grand. How tall the ceiling is I can only guess. 30 metres perhaps? Whatever, it’s magnificent. The walls are adorned with what I can only describe as priceless works of art and the stained glass windows are superb. Even I, irreligious as I am, can imagine sitting through a church service here, spending the hour simply attempting to take in the surrounding detail.
We leave the cathedral, suitably awestruck and head into the Grand Place, a fairly standard thing in many Belgian towns. Once again we are awestruck. Beautiful buildings in all directions. We take some time to ogle all the detail (an impossible task by the way, as any visitor to Belgium will attest) and then it’s time to get some refreshment.
We go into the O’Fiach Irish pub, which when we arrive is fairly quiet and off to the side of the market square. We order a Tripel Karmeliet, one of the many fine trappist beers that Belgium has to offer and sit outside, simply taking in the beauty of the square and a view of yet another angle of the cathedral.
We finish the beer and go off exploring. Once we are confident that we have seen all of the beautiful historic bits Mechelen has to offer (there are quite a few of them by the way) it’s back for another Karmeliet as a quick refresher.
There’s more exploring time, during which we find another beautiful church the “Our Lady of the Dyle” church. Apparently Mechelen has 8 historic churches – each one a work of art. A friendly and welcoming gentleman at the entrance explains the history the church, and how it was bombed in world war II. There is a actually a video presentation of this in the church, which is quite saddening to watch I must confess. The video is part of an exhibition detailing restoration and history of the building.
In wandering around the streets, we happened upon many murals and pieces of street art as well as beautiful sculptures and statues. Finally we walk back once more down the boardwalk to return to the station. A wonderful day.
Mechelen is probably one of the lesser known places in Belgium (at least as far as Australian tourists go) but it is well worth a look.
Follow the Visit Mechelen Facebook page for more information and upcoming events.
https://www.facebook.com/visitmechelen/