| 'What I thought was to just rant away about the trip and let you edit the bits that you think are any good. My opinion is that I am no good at this writing lark but if someone does it at least it might make someone more eloquent get off their arse.' |
Well no one did contact me in response to my advert about going to Antwerp, so my girlfriend and I went by plane anyway. Obviously we were not able to bring back any frogs, which was probably a good thing, as the house is rapidly filling up as it is.
This was the first time we had been to any show like this and it was a great eye opener as to what plants, vivaria and other bits you can purchase for your frogs. I was looking to purchase D. imitator but there were none to be had (not that the air company would let you carry them, unless it was a dog or cat.) However, I have met up with a chap who might be able to bring back some D. ventrimaculatus for me on his next visit. However, I digress.
Getting to the show for us was by air from Heathrow, which was a pleasant flight. If this is booked early it can be fairly cheap for us non-drivers. The flight will take you from Heathrow to Brussels airport. The trains in to Brussels and thence to Antwerp were very cheap indeed; from the airport to the capital was 95BEF each (2.35 Euros) and a similar low price to Antwerp. The city of Antwerp is very easy to get to and well worth the journey. As you come out of the main station, the tourist information centre and the zoo confront you. Finding accommodation was an amusing task that had us staying in a house of ill repute for the first night! So my advice is - go straight to the TIC and get advice. They all speak English and can call the hotel on your behalf.
The zoo is well worth a visit and can easily take up a good chunk of a day (with well-priced and nice food available within). The displays of reptiles, invertebrates and amphibia were of some interest. One exhibit was of D. auratus and one of D. pumilio, with other amphibia in further interesting set-ups. It's a good place to drag the kids round. With Belgium, food and beer are two obvious things that spring to mind.
Prices are comparable with those in Britain. However, the quality is usually
far higher than UK. Do try the Hoegarden beer. It's great! The shopping was
fun and there was plenty to see in the town; castles, tall ships, comic shops,
bars, record shops, bars, amazing statues, bars. Oh, and did I mention
bars? There was also a shop that was one of the main sponsors of the show
'Fantasia Reptiles' Turnhoutsebaan 343 2140 Borgerhout-Antwerp. |
As for the show, this was a little further out of town than we thought. However, a tram ride (that cost about 40p each) took only a few minutes. Once we arrived it was about 1.50 entrance fee and then - it was time to run around like an over excited child! My first impression was that it looked to be well run and clean. Much of the livestock was reptilian in nature with a strong bias towards spiders and stick insects, with a few mantids thrown in for good measure.
As for frogs, initially there seemed to be a poor showing but with a few more arriving later. The species available were DD. leucomelas, auratus, azureus, ventrimaculatus, E. tricolor and P. vittatus. There were also a few tree and reed frogs. Most of the livestock prices were about 2/3 of those I have seen in Britain. On a more critical note, some of the frogs did look to me to be a little on the skinny side, especially D. azureus. On the other hand, the D. leucomelas all looked well fed and responsive. This was annoying as this was one of the main species I was looking for but was unable to bring back!
There was one chap selling a nice selection of real and artificial plants at very low prices. We were able to pick up some epiphytes at a quarter the cost they would be normally. There were also some nice pre-built palludaria that, were it not for the prices, were to die for. There was a good selection of dry goods that we took advantage of, including a chance to get hold of tree fern root sections, some being twice the price of others!
Springtails were available at about £2 a tub, something I
have never seen on any UK price list.
All in all it was a great weekend away with the chance to see and meet other
keepers and to see their animals and the ways in which they keep and breed them.