Mary 7,086 words
Robin 5,886 words
Susan 2,336 words
Disclaimer: Characters from the Trixie Belden series are the property of Random House. They are used without permission, although with a great deal of affection and respect. All other material on these pages copyright 2008 by MaryN/ Dianafan, Robin, and Susansuth.
This story was originally posted on March 10, 2009, during the Jixanny celebrations. Happy 9th Anniversary to Jixemitri, our home on the world wide web!
Thank you to Dana for organizing the group story and putting so much hard work into it as well!!!
When we first brainstormed for our story, we came up with the idea for a mystery about the diamond business that would take place in Antwerp, Belgium - “the diamond capital of the world”, on one of the Wheelers' many business trips. As we all know, Matthew taught HOney how to tell the difference between a real diamond and a fake one, using only the naked eye. So, we figured we didn't need to do much (any!) research about diamonds. However, Antwerp was another story! To learn more about Antwerp, we researched many sites. For anyone who is interested, here are some of the most useful to our story.
This is a Wikipedia article about Antwerp; a page from Antwerp's official website.
Another great site about Antwerp, with dozens of pictures.
Here is a heavily footnoted Wikipedia article on Belgium, its history, languages, culture
Language of Antwerp – Antwerpian dialect of Dutch; Belgium has 3 official languages: Dutch/Flemish, French, and German
I make M. Maas Jewish, because since the 2nd World War, families of Hasidic Jews have dominated the diamond industry. My fictional Isaac Maas’s father was sheltered during WWII by a Belgian family, and took their name. Here is the story of a real Belgian family that sheltered a number of Jews during the war: The Righteous Among the Nations. There was a Maas family story at the Yad Vashem site as well, but the link was broken.
Belgium is highly urban. As of 2006, the Flemish Region had a population of about 6,078,600, with Antwerp at 457,749.
Currency – euro
Cuisine: Contrary to their name, french fries also originated in Belgium. The name “french fries” actually refers to the description of the manner in which the potato is cut. To “french” means to cut into slivers. The national dishes are steak and fries with salad, and mussels with fries.
Brands of Belgian chocolate and pralines, like Callebaut, Côte d'Or, Neuhaus, Leonidas, Guylian, and Godiva, are world renowned and widely sold.
Belgium produces over 500 varieties of beer. The Trappist beer of the Abbey of Westvleteren has consistently been rated the world's best beer. (All food information from Wiki article on Belgium)
Landmarks:
Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal (Cathedral of Our Lady)
The Bourse, or stock exchange.
The Antwerp Zoo is located right next to the Central Railway Station.
Het Steen is the oldest building in Antwerp and a historic medieval castle - now houses the National Maritime Museum.
Boerentoren ("Farmers' tower"), nickname of the KBC Bank building in Antwerp.
Meir – most important shopping street of Antwerp.
Diamond Museum at the Koningin Astridplein, Antwerp, Belgium.
Groenplaats means “green square”. Located in the center of the city near Central Station and cathedral, it is the starting place of a tourist tram. It is a square bordered by cafes, not really very green but has some small trees (in cages). Statue of Rubens in center. Another important landmark at the Groenplaats is the Antwerp Hilton - a luxury hotel dating to the 1920s, but recently renovated. Numerous photographs of Antwerp and its landmarks may be found at www.aviewoncities.com
Another pic which shows many smaller tables on Groenplaats looking toward cathedral.
Newspapers: Gazet van Antwerpen – local, La Libre Belgique – national, and in French, Le Monde – Paris newspaper, Times of London, De Telegraf – Amsterdam; Expatica – online news in English from Amsterdam.
Industry: petrochemical, power, diamonds
Transportation: A motorway bypass encircles much of the city centre. Known locally as the "Ring", it offers motorway connections to Brussels, Hasselt, and Ghent, Lille, Bruges, Breda, and Bergen op Zoom (Netherlands). Antwerp is also served by tram and bus lines, as well as underground rail (premetro) – see main wiki article.
Culture:
Fashion: The Antwerp Six, a group of designers; Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
Painting: The Antwerp School - a school of painting. Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens, Anthony Van Dyck were some well-known Antwerpian painters
Another Wiki article that has many useful tips for getting around in Antwerp.
A list Antwerp's mayors yielded the last name of police detective Philip Reynoud: List of mayors of Antwerp
Copyright 2009-2011 by MaryN, Robin, and Susansuth.
Links updated and html revalidated January 2011.
