I lived in Mechelen for two months, in a little loft room with kitchenette at the top of the home of a woman who had rented it off and on for 8 years. It was a great experience living in Mechelen, as the Dijle (Dyle) river was just out the door with tens of kilometers of great cycling trails. Getting to Brussels for exams and meetings was a bit expensive/time consuming, but I enjoyed living in Mechelen immensely.



Town square.

Dijle (Dyle) river ride.

One of the house cats would only drink from a running tap, and jumped to the sink when she wanted water.

My favorite part of the city? The town mascot, Opsinjoorke.
The bronze statue in front of the Town Hall shows Opsinjoorke in full flight. The original doll was made in 1647. It is carried in ceremonial and religious processions and thrown into the air by means of a large linen cloth. It was originally called Sotscop or Foul Bridegroom, a reference to inebriated husbands who maltreated their wives. Divorce was absolutely forbidden in those days, and so the doll was symbolically punished (thrown into the air) for the sins of these men. The doll acquired its current name on July 4th 1775 when, during a religious procession, the doll went beyond the reach of the cloth and landed among the crowd. An onlooker from Antwerp put out his arms to ward off the doll, but was accused of trying to steal the Sotscop. After receiving a sound thrashing from the patriotic people of Mechelen, he sent a letter of protest to the Mechelen magistrate pleading his innocence. From then on Sotscop became known as Opsinjoorke, 'sinjoor' being the nickname of the people of Antwerp! From mechelen.be

Photos of Opsinjoorke from traveltopper.eu. The bronze statue sits outside the front of town hall, and the yellow version is a larger-than-life sculpture in the park Reuzenopsinjoor near Saint Rumbold's Cathedral.

Tivoli Park was also a great find, at the recommendation of my Airbnb host. The park is lovely, and has many animals including goats, donkeys, pigs, and birds that you are free to approach and pet (at your own risk) since their enclosures are fairly open to the rest of the park. I am surprised the goats weren't severely overweight with the amount of food I saw young children feeding them each time I passed by.

Fuzzy pig at Tivolipark.

One more picture of the town square, with St Rumbold's Cathedral towering on the left.