"What do you mean? When did you realize it?", I ask.
"Oh...right before dinner. I noticed it was missing after we stepped out from St.Michael's Cathedral." (grin)
"Do you remember carrying it into the church? Think you lost it there or maybe someone stole it?"
"No, I don't remember holding it in the church either but I definitely remember having it on the table when we had our...our waffle break." (mini grin)...(pause)...(mini grin)
"But that was right in front of the church! You probably left it at the waffle shop. Why didn't you alert us right away?"
"Oh,I didn't want to bother anyone....hehe"
"Ok, that's silly! We were right across the street from the waffle place!If you'd told us right away, we could have walked back immediately! Do you remember the name of waffle place?"
"Umm...no I don't. In fact, I am not even sure we can find it again now."
Lately, my patience has started thinning on several occasions. That last response just accelerated the waning.
"Oh Come on! We know it was right across from the church. The church is a prominent landmark in town. We can easily retrace our steps once we return to the church."
"Ok...well we can go there if you want. I just figured we are going to be running late getting to Ghent." (grin) (grin)
Day2 in Belgium was to be spent visiting Ghent, a charming medieval town near Brussels. Nico had insisted we spend some time here and who was I to argue?
"First off, we aren't returning to the waffle place for ME. Second, I think there are plenty of trains to Ghent and we won't be wasting too much time on this. Plus, those are expensive chocolates.", I add.
Quickly, we set off in the direction of the cathedral. In a few minutes, I can see that Eric isn't very good at reading a map. That streets and alleys in Old Town Brussels intersected at crazy angles only make things more confusing for him. No wonder he relies on Helga, the Dutch GPS Frau, to take him everywhere. Thirty minutes later, we have located said waffle shop where a bag of Neuhaus chocolates has been sitting patiently for us all night long.
Soon after, we head to Brussels Centraal Station to get on our way to Ghent. A ticketing agent informs us curtly that the next train leaves in 20 minutes. We get our tickets and walk over to display boards to check daily train schedules. As it turns out, there is a train leaving for Ghent in 3 minutes while the next one leaves in 18 minutes.
"He lied to us!", spats Eric.
"No he didn't lie. Yes, he could have told us about this train but he probably figured we weren't going to be able to make it."
"He was rude. In fact, he being a big jerk. And we could have easily made it to this train."
"He wasn't being a jerk and we have under 3 minutes to spare! You think that's enough to rush down 2 levels, find the right train and get into the right seating class?"
Eric shrugs. Apparently, he believes we are champion athletes. Going by the liege waffles I am getting addicted to, I believe I am evolving into a chocolate-loving sloth.
Forty-ish minutes later, we arrive in Ghent ("Hyent", the way Nico says it).
Nearly every visitor in Belgium visits the charming city of Bruges after exploring Brussels. Ghent does not draw such a huge crowd but it is no less charming a town to visit. I want to experience it before I submit myself to the magic of Bruges. Ghent has long been over-shadowed by Bruges and it let its medieval buildings get coated with grime from industrial development over the last 250 years. More recently, the town got its act together by shaking off its dust. Behold a charming, medieval town with churches like no where else.
The town's modest size belies a history longer than that of most European cities. Founded in 600 AD, the town was once the second largest city in Europe after Paris. In size, it housed 65,000 people and was bigger than London, Cologne or Moscow. Today, it is a small, charming town boasting culture and comfort.
Our adventure begins in the Korenmarkt area, an area that was once a corn market and is now the commercial centre of the city with tons of attractive cafes. Together with the attractive Graslei district, this is a lovely welcome to the city.
Heading along Burgstraat, Eric and I arrive at Must-See Attraction#1, Het Gravensteen.
The ancient Castle of Counts, Het Gravensteen is a medieval fortress with thick stone walls dating back to the 1100s. From 1400 to the 1700s, it was used as a prison and later, became a cotton mill. Today, it is one of the town's most prominent landmarks. A tour of the castle is well worth the price of admission. Informative display boards and clear signs guide you along and encourage you to check out over 18 features in the castle including a gallery of armour and ... a collection of torture instruments.
After enjoying views of the town from the top of the castle, we hurry back inside to practically stumble onto a guillotine. The blade is a little rusted but I can live with it as long as no one's using it! Leaning in, it is chilling to picture this same blade decapitating hundreds of heads over the years.We enter another room and realize the guillotine had been placed intelligently to whet our appetites for the macabre. We are now in a large room that houses instruments of torture. Some of these devices are so unimaginably sickening that I shudder to think of the plight of prisoners in those days. Often, men and women were subjected to torture as a punishment for crime, treatment to extract information or on the suspicion of practicing witchcraft or wizardry. A single thought runs through your head as you look upon device after device designed to inflict unimaginable pain. What was the worth of a man's life when subject to these horrors within walls that drowned his screams?
Our visit to the castle complete, we wander back to the central part of Ghent, a lively open space in front of the massive St.Baafskathedraal and the Belfort. The former dates back to the 1200s and boasts of every style of gothic architecture, particularly in its slender columns. One of Europe's most celebrated paintings, Jan van Eyck's "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb", is housed here. The bigger treat for me is to watch a man play twin harps with effortless ease.
St.Baafskathedraal is also called St.Baavo's Cathedral after Ghent's very own St.Baavo who renounced his wealthy lifestyle to become a missionary in France. Across from this massive church is the Lakenhalle, a fine Flemish-Gothic building that was once the center for cloth trade.
As dusk settles in, Eric and I stroll over St.Michael's bridge, taking in splendid views of St.Niklaaskerk and the charming streets of the Graslei area.
Amidst the groups of tourists crossing streets in wanton fashion, buses and trams weave seamlessly without a lot of noise. The high walls of the city's castle and churches watch guard as Ghent solemnly takes its place in a tourist's guide book. It does so without fanfare . Therein lies its beauty.
2 comments:
When I first saw the pictures and didn't read any of the comments, I thought it was part Amsterdam (Canals) and part Caan (a town in Normandy, France). The street, tram and cathedral look exactly the same.
Nice Pictures and detailed description. I think now, Belgium should be on everyone's list.
Most certainly. The best part about Belgium is that it is manageable in size and doesn't require several days to explore. Towns are small enough that you can walk from end to end. People love to have a good time and so tourists are more welcome here than in most other European cities.
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