It's early morning in Mechelen and the streets are empty. Derek Blyth is looking forward to wandering down the cobbled lanes, looking inside gothic churches, passing some time in the municipal museum, and ending up, as everyone does, in one of the cafés on the main square. He has always been fond of this old Flemish town, with its quiet and safe mood, like Bruges without the tourists. Blyth has not been back to Mechelen for several years, but is not expecting much to have changed. But he is about to find out that a sleepy provincial town can be roused from centuries of lethargy. It just takes energy, fresh ideas…and some lofts.