Ath, that well known Belgium town! It's pronounced 'At' by the French speaking and 'Ath' by the Flemish speaking. It's still the same town. Upon arrival in the town centre the lock had not been prepared which we thought strange. We hovered then the lock keeper came running to meet us. 'Do you want to be close to le Centre Ville or le Port Plaisance?' 'Le Centre Ville!' Well moor exactly where you are as the Grand Place is around the corner. We said we would stay one or maybe two nights. A week later we reluctantly left. It had so much going on and was so pleasant. The lock keeper and his wife were lovely. So friendly and welcoming. Ask him about anything and the wine came out with great conversations about the universe and everything! Before we left we explored the town.
Classical architecture in a museum.
You really have to go to Musée des Géants. It would be rude not to. The museum was fine, personally I found the building, a rich merchants house, more impressive. Marble, statues, conservatories, grottos to envy. The Giants are quite common in this region with parades and 'spectacles' in the summer. According to the information at the museum we have Giants in London and Sheffield??
One of the many.
Next to our mooring there was an building that was originally a school/association of art, it is now a space for public use, farmer's market, art exhibition, performance etc. Bimbling in, as we do, we found a stall promoting/selling their own local currency.
Monnaie citoyenne.
Ath is such a friendly easy town, not known by the British, with an unbelievable number of bars/restaurants in the Grand Place and a lovely ambiance. As I said what are they on? I'm not sure but they do seem good and happy.
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