Ghent

On Sunday, despite the snow, we headed to Ghent to visit another of Belgium's gems. Ghent is a lovely city as well, but I didn't fall in love with it like I did with Bruges. Still, it had it's charms and we thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Hundreds (thousands?) of bikes outside the train station

Sunday seems to be a quiet day in many European cities, and Ghent was no different. There were very few people out and about when we alighted from the train and it was really nice to have a quiet walk through the sleepy, snow covered streets.

Our first stop was a walk through a large city park, to an art gallery where we were hoping to see some original Peter Paul Reubens (one of Joe's favorite artists). The park was a fun detour, as there were a number of people sledding down little hills and enjoying the winter weather. The art museum was great too--beautiful art and a nice escape from the cold.

From there, we headed into the town centre (note to future travelers: take the bus from the train station). Coming into the old town, you cross a large bridge over a canal. The sight welcoming you to the old town is breathtaking.




After meandering our way through chocolate shops, the Belfry, and several magnificent churches, we decided to get out of the cold and took a tour of the Castle. It was an interesting tour, as it included visits to the old dungeons and a museum of torture. Pretty gruesome stuff, actually. Still, it was a beautiful building and I loved walking through the various rooms and imagining people living and working there.

View of the Belfry from the Castle

Alms Houses

Dusk in Ghent

Before leaving Ghent, we enjoyed hot drinks at a little canal side cafe. Despite the cold weather, we were tempted by the heating lamps, the chairs covered in heavy blankets, and the inviting wool covers for patrons and sat outside. We were rewarded with marvelous views of the sunset and the early evening snow fall (and, really cold hands and feet).