Intro
We've decided to deviate from the GR 5A trail and to tackle the special E2 connection Bazel – Deurne.
This trail is only 25 kilometers long and leads mainly through an urban area. At first we didn't think much of it and that's why we decided to cover the distance in two separate hikes. For us that was easy because we live in Antwerpen and it wouldn't take us much time to reach start and finish of the hikes.
If you think E2 is some kind of food additive then you're wrong. It's the name of an international long distance hiking path taking you all the way from Scotland to the French Riviera. More information can be found here.
The hike we're describing here is documented in the topoguide GR5A South (published in Dutch) under the name Connection GR / E2.
Travel information
There's no public transport available at the start of the hike, so we traveled to Bazel. From the center of Antwerpen we took tram 2 to the left bank of the river and there we boarded bus 95 (or 93) heading for Sint-Niklaas. Bazel is worth a visit (see the hike Temse – Antwerpen), but during the week, and early in the morning, it's a very quiet little place.
In Bazel we located the white/red signs of the GR 5A trail and followed them in the direction of Rupelmonde for about 1,7 kilometer. Using the map in the topoguide it wasn't too difficult to find the place where the E2 Connection Trail starts. The only problem is that the E2 trail is not indicated onsite. Without the map in the topoguide it might be not that easy to locate the right spot. This is also true for the rest of the hike. You're in an urban environment and the trail signs tend to disappear or to be covered by other indications.
We finished the hike at the Kielpark. Tram 4 takes you straight to the heart of Antwerpen (Groenplaats).
The hike
Once we've located the start of the hike, the signs lead us towards the river Schelde. This is an area of polder lands, situated below the level of the river. The whole area is being prepared as a flood plain. Plenty of birds here. A heron keeps us company for a while. Whether he appreciates our presence is less clear though. Each time we're getting too close he opens his wings and majestically flies a short distance away. Nice to observe.
We cross the river Schelde at the Kallebeekveer. We're lucky, the ferry is just arriving. The ship is bigger and looks much more solid compared to the other river-ferries we used further up the river at Mariekerke and Baasrode. After all, the river is much broader here and the tides are much stronger.
On the other side we're in Hemiksem. An information panel refers to the Sint-Bernardus abbey, but if you want to visit it you'll need to deviate from the trail. Maybe a good idea for later on. The GR signs quickly lead us through the uninteresting center of Hemiksem and a little later the landscape again becomes more open and greener.
The Hof van Hemiksem is supposed to be a water castle, dating from 1760, and situated in the midst of a baroque park. We walk by the entrance gate but we don't get to see the castle. What we do see is a golf course.
Further up in a meadow we notice a strange looking fortified shelter. It looks like a concrete chapel. Does someone know the purpose of this construction?
We now walk along a nice linden avenue in the direction of Hoboken. Interesting contrasts here: first a castle (Klaverblad), and then a trailer park for gipsies.
After crossing the Sint-Bernardse Steenweg (road) we enter a housing quarter and are welcomed by a panel 'Neighbourhood Observation'. We do our best to give them something to observe, because there's nothing else moving here …
Leaving the houses we enter the premises of Fortress 8. There's several old fortresses surrounding the city of Antwerpen. It always strikes us how they have become quiet green oases in the suburban districts that now surround the city.
Passed the fortress we enter the park Sorgvliet. The prominent red coloured castle used to be one of the many 'pleasure courts' built on the outskirts of town by rich citizens. Today the complex serves as the District House of Hoboken.
The rest of the hike now takes us to Berchem through a series of famous suburban quarters such as Molen, Kleine Heide, Zwaantjes and Kiel. The social housing companies have turned this area into an open air museum showing examples of their projects dating from the 19th century up to the present times.
Today the area is completely built and a lot of money and effort is being invested in renovation projects. The results are visible and certainly look positive. Where possible green oases attempt to create a feeling of intimacy and smaller scale. We can only hope that the efforts will help to bring back a sense of community into these suburbs which all too long have symbolised everything that went wrong in a city like Antwerpen.
Arriving at the entrance of the Kielpark we've reached the end of this hike.
We have to admit this was an interesting hike. We especially appreciated the discovery tour through the suburban 'problem' quarters of Antwerpen. It convinced us of the hard work being invested in the constant improvement of the housing conditions of the people living here. Hopefully the mentality and the attitudes will follow too ...
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