April, 1996 (continued):
Bob De Groof, who had arranged for this return visit to Belgium, was in a meeting for much of the day. He arranged for a colleague named Hilda to escort me to lunch between seminars.
She took me to a small Antwerp café that is located across the street from a brewery. In fact, they literally have a pipeline of beer that runs from the brewery to the café.
Devoted readers will recall that beer tastes to me like the worst of medicines, so this fresh-from-the-factory feature — albeit interesting — was of only passing interest to me.
After lunch, I presented How To Create Maximum Impact Radio Advertising for V.A.R. and for representatives of advertising agencies from throughout Belgium.
Firean Hotel, Antwerp
The Firean is exactly what a visitor would hope for in a small European hotel: lovely, charming, authentic old-world style with the added bonus of spacious rooms and modern fixtures. If you ever take a holiday in Antwerp, this is where I want you to say.
I barely had time to unpack and admire the room, however, before Bob came to take me to dinner. He had a place in mind that boasted a great view of the harbor. Great, I thought. A peaceful, genuine Antwerp dining experience.
I don’t remember what I ate there or how it tasted. I don’t recall the view. I do remember the crowdedness and the very high noise level of a Belgium attempt to recreate a typical ’50s-style American diner.
The place was called Rock and Food. Cute idea, I guess, if you didn’t arrive there exhausted and hoarse and looking for a quick, light dinner.
The walls were covered with rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia (that’s not so unusual) and their menus were printed on real vinyl LPs (that, granted, is unusual if not unique). They had taken old record albums from the 1950s and imprinted the menu on them.
Next Installment: Plenty of Dramamine, but not a drop of water to be found….
