On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we headed out on the train to a Belgian city called Ghent. It's on the same line as Brugge, but a stop sooner. It's similar to Brugge in that it is in the Flemish (Dutch) part of Belgium & has canals, but it is far less touristy than Brugge. It was a chilly & drizzly day.
I wonder if I could find my bike if I parked it here...?
Just like in Holland, the Flemish regions of Belgium are big into biking everywhere.
Belgian tapestry store (the owner came to S.H.A.P.E. a week before for the Canadian Christmas Market and was selling tapestries/pillows like hot cakes)
Quaint street with Christmas decor
One of the churches in Ghent--St. Niklaaskerk
The Ghent Belfort
St. Baafkathedraal (Gorgeous interior...dark wood and lots of stained glass)
St. Bavo is a 7th century saint from Ghent.
He left his wealthy life and became a missionary and later a hermit.
Fun shops and charming little streets
St. Niklaaskerk Gothic Church
Canal along Graslei Street
See the top of the castle on the right?
Boat tours abound
Overcast day, yet still charming
Cool looking restaurant
Love these buildings and their detailing!
Love this shot
Het Gravensteen (Castle of the Counts)
-Parts of the castle date back to the late 1100s
-This castle was Ghent's military stronghold, later a city jail,
and eventually a cotton mill
Cool little square (great place to hang out on a warmer day)
Check out the sculptures on the building
At the castle
Views of Ghent from the castle
Love the way the orange color pops!
Our Princes!
Guillotine
(The boys were curious about this, but we didn't tell them anymore than it slices things---Colin would have nightmares otherwise!) On the other side, there was a bag to catch...you know what! Ugh!
There even was a room full of medieval torture instruments,
but needless to say, we quickly exited that room.
I didn't even care to see some of those.
Pointed arches
King Aidan!
King Colin!
:)
Later in the day, we went to Het Huis van Alijn ( a Belgian folk museum)
This museum housed artifacts such as dolls, toys, furniture, clothing,
pictures, school desks etc from a long time ago.
All in all, it was a pretty good day. I think the rain/cold weather affected the boys because they seemed as though they would rather be at home playing with their toys. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. Mike and I thought Ghent was a beautiful city even on this eerie, overcast day. The boys did enjoy the castle, their yummy pizza lunch and an afternoon hot chocolate!
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