One small thing that I’ve allowed myself to collect in my not-so-frequent travels to Europe are Tintin comic books. In French.
I started with one comic book from Geneva on my first visit there. I thought to myself — rather that buy some tiny souvenir that will end up gathering dust in a drawer somewhere, why not get something I can read and display on my bookshelves? (Besides, our fridge has so many fridge magnets already!)
The comic books are hardbound and are not cheap by Malaysian standards, no thanks to the strong Euro. However, I allow myself this little luxury because it’s a fun way of brushing up on my French. The illustrations provide the necessary context for me to understand better what’s being said.
Even the twins enjoy the comic books, thanks to the illustrations that are all drawn in Hergé’s signature ligne claire style. Their favourite is Tintin Au Congo (Tintin In Congo) because it features a lot of animals.
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| Twin1 “reading” | Look! Elephants! |
Despite the fact that my French is really rusty now, somehow I find the comic books funnier in the original French text. Certain elements of humour get lost in translation, I suppose.
But I digress. My point is, when DH and I found ourselves in Antwerp, I squealed in excitement as I scanned a map of tourist attractions in the city. The reason? It highlighted a comic book shop called “Mekanik Strip.”
Image from apen.be
DH must have been relieved that I was more keen in buying comic books rather than diamonds (which Antwerp is most certainly famous for) so much so that, when I asked him if we could look for the shop, he acquiesced faster than you can say bcbsnc. Quite an unusual thing for him to do, considering how much he hates shopping in any form!
Mekanik Strip is quite easy to find on foot. From Antwerp’s Centraal Station, find your bearings and walk the whole length of Gemeentestraat, continue walking straight on to Franklin Rooseveltplaats, then you’ll find yourself at Sint-Jacobsmarkt, where Mekanik Strip is located.
Mekanik Strip is comic book heaven! Not only did they have Tintin comic books in several languages, they even had Tintin collector items — older editions — carefully wrapped in plastic.
They have a huge collection of all things comic-related — comic books of all types and genres, dolls, t-shirts, among others. They claim to have the largest worldwide collection of comics in Europe.
These truth magnets at the counter caught my eye. But I balked at the price tag because €1 is about RM5 and the cost of one magnet is equivalent to the cost of about 10 loaves of sliced bread in Malaysia. (The comic books aren’t cheap either but they’re more utilitarian as compared to magnets. Right? Right?)
I found the shop’s proprietors to be very friendly. They gladly acquiesced when I asked if it’s okay for me to take photos. They even invited me to check out the art gallery in the first floor. [NB: 'First Floor' in Europe and Malaysia is called 'Second Floor' in the Philippines. What Filipinos know as the 'First Floor' is referred to as the 'Ground Floor'.]
So if you like comics and find yourself in Antwerp, make sure to visit Mekanik Strip.
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Mekanik Strip
Tel: +3232342347
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 18:30, Sat 10:00 – 18:00
I’ll probably be interested in that soon. I’m currently (seriously) learning French, along Korean and Arabic. =)
wow, that’s a comicbook-lover’s paradise!
witsandnuts: wow! all 3 at the same time?? saludo ako sa yo!
fortuitous faery: ya, i had to drag myself away from the place to stop myself from buying more than what i initially planned to buy hehe.
Almost at the same time. Though I need to prioritize my Arabic, mas interested ang system ko sa French and Korean. =(