Gorgeous Ghent

Ghent is one of those mysterious cities that you don't hear too much about. Sure, everyone knows about Brussels or Brugge, but Ghent? Not so much. She lures you in with the idea of exploring some of her historic buildings, and then she stuns you speechless with her amazing beauty. She isn't easy, though. She makes you work hard to admire her. A friend and I took the train to check her out. (Over two hours one way, but she was worth it.) At one point in the morning, we were starting to think that we were providing comic relief for the city. We got a bit turned around with the buses outside the train station. Let's face it, when you have about half a dozen double length buses to choose from, it can get a bit confusing. When I approached a bus driver to see if his bus was the one we needed to reach our destination, I asked him if he spoke English. He replied (with a smile), "I have to, because you do not speak Dutch." Fair enough. He kindly pointed us in the right direction and we were soon in the heart of the historic centrum of Ghent.

Ghent was founded in the 7th century, and was originally known as Ganda. She lies between the Schelde and Leie rivers. She was destroyed by the Normans in the 9th century, and was rebuilt with a stronghold known as Gravensteen. She's well known for her lace and linen. This is the Stadhuis, or Town Hall. It was built a little after 1302.

Rounding the corner, you get to admire this beauty. (Sorry about the poor pictures this time, but I didn't' realize that my camera was on the wrong setting until just before we headed for home. None of these pictures do Ghent justice.) This is St. Baafskathedraal, and was founded in 942. She was just a little chapel at that time, but in 1550, she grew into the statuesque beauty that she is today. Unfortunately, they don't allow pictures inside, but trust me when I say WOW!

Across from St. Baafskathedraal is Belfort. Belfort was built in the 13th and 14th centuries. She has 44 bells, and is quite famous in these parts.

The statue of Jacob van Arteveld stands in the middle of the Vrijdagmarkt. He was once the burgomaster of the city.

This is the Vrijdagmarkt, or The Friday Market. It's a beautiful place and reminds me of both Antwerp and Brugge.

Lots of beautiful little streets lead off from the Friday Market. This is where Ghent starts to take your breath away. It's not the majestic buildings full of history, but the quiet little canals hidden just around each corner. Absolutely beautiful. If you're curious about the red cannon on the left, it is the Dulle Griet. It's a cast iron cannon that was built somewhere between 1430 and 1481. It weighs 16,000 kg (3,520 pounds). This building on the corner is called The Flute Player, and dates back to 1669. The one to it's left is the Seven Works of Mercy house. I could find out any information about this fellow, but I am guessing that it's Zeus. He was across the street from... Gravensteen. This is the Castle of the Counts, and was built as a stronghold by Count Baldwin I after the original city of Ghent was destroyed in the 9th century.

You can tour the inside of the castle, and it's in pretty good shape.

This is the view from one of the turrets on top of the Castle. And here is the view from the very top. It's said to be the best view of the city, and I believe it! Back inside the castle, we finished up the rest of our tour. This is a copy of a guillotine

that was used here from 1796 to 1861. The guillotine is a reproduction. The blade is original.

This is a chapel inside the castle. Later, it was used as a torture chamber.

After all that walking and climbing, we were more than ready for some lunch, so we headed around the corner and came upon the Koorniei. It was the center of the Medieval port. Apparently, it's the place to be on a beautiful afternoon in Ghent. This was the view we had when we ate lunch at De Witte Leeuw (The White Lion). As far as we could tell, they had the best lunch deal in the entire city. For a mere 10 euro, we had asparagus soup, chicken stew in white gravy, salad, fries, and chocolate mousse (yummmm!) for desert. I know. It's a tough life, but someone has to do it. I'd almost feel guilty if it weren't for that whole April Fools incident. I'm just saying. After a delicious lunch, basking in the sun and people watching on the waterfront, we were off on our adventure once again.

Are you starting to understand why Ghent is known as Little Brugge? Crossing another bridge led us back to the area that we had started, so we took the opportunity to check out St. Kiklaaskerk.

Sint Niklaaskerk was built around the middle of the 11th century. During the French Revolution, the church was actually used as a horse stable. It's hard to believe, isn't it? The carved marble was absolutely stunning. I've come to believe that churches in Europe are the most beautiful in the entire world. It was getting late in the day and it was time to say goodbye to gorgeous Ghent. Yes, it was a bit of a challenge getting there, but it was definitely worth the trouble. She's a beautiful city. And the bus drivers have a sassy sense of humor, too.