Sunday we went to the Scheepvaartmuseum, a museum about ships. We were surprised upon entering that 1) is was free that day! and 2) the first floor exhibit was about the shipping lines that catered to emigrants sailing to the US. We had no idea it was such a booming business back at the turn of the century - so much so that there was competition among various shipping lines, which led to better accommodations for steerage-class passengers. I found this all the more fascinating because my Grandpa Mendl actually sailed from Antwerp, probably on one of the Red Star Line ships we read about at the exhibit.
The photo above is from the other part of the museum, the part where they have scale models of various sailing ships. While this wasn't as interesting to me, I did have to admire the beautiful workmanship of the models.
3 comments:
1.I knew about the competition. I saw it on TV one night after Rita went to bed.
2. When Rita first posted this, she had it as the Schifffahrtsmuseum; and when I corrected it to Scheepvaartmuseum, her reaction was, "But I looked it up!" forgetting that we had picked up a German guide to Antwerp museums by mistake. They really are a lot alike.
The connection with your Grandpa is interesting. It's amazing how small the world has become. It would be neat if the girls could visit the museum and see the connection on one of their trips.
Grandpop
I bet it was awesome to see it. I pretty much only have an undergrad in NAME because I think ships can be absolutely beautiful. Yes I know, it's a completely defensible reason for a degree.
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