There seem to be many ways to pronounce Ghent, or Gent or Gant, whatever you choose to call it! French, English, and Flemish-Dutch all have different versions. We haven't settled on one, but we will be gone by the end of the week, so I guess we don't need to concern ourselves. No matter how you spell it or pronounce it, Ghent is a lovely place.
The day dawned blue, with streaky cloud and a clear forecast, so we left home with our warm gear but not our waterproof gear. Possibly not the best choice, but as it turned out we mostly got away with it. We breakfasted at our apartment, then worked our way towards the centre to start a trip around the main sights. The route in took us through a gross street that was clearly one of Ghent's party districts. The streets were covered with discarded rubbish, mainly plastic beer cups, and copious piles of vomit. Not the best look. It turned out to be on the outskirts of the university - so it was clear who the culprits were likely to be.
Having got to the university itself the walk improved dramatically and we enjoyed looking at the buildings and shops along the way to the centre.
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| Lovely art deco newspaper offices |
As we arrived at St Baafs Square there was clearly something going on. The cathedral entry was blocked by 4 police, and a few minutes later a cavalcade of huge black cars arrived and disgorged several dozen dignitaries in flowing robes and funny hats. Perhaps something to do with the university? Or a Harry-Potter-themed service?
We took the opportunity to climb the Belfort, one of Ghent's 3 famous towers. It was great. As Ghent is largely 6 stories or less, the views were far-reaching, and a great way to orient ourselves. We were able to see the gigantic music-box system that runs the bells, and the previous dragon that crowned the spire before the current 500kg gilded stainless steel version.
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| Giant music box that runs the bells |
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| The previous dragon from the spire |
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| Cloth merchants guild hall from which the Belfort rises |
We managed about half our walking tour before hunger got the better of us, so we stopped off to buy an appelbol (apple ball) and since we are in Belgium, a chocoladebrood. The chocoladebrood was basically a breadloaf version of a chocolate chip biscuit, and far more fun than a filled roll!
A bit more walking and we found ourselves where the canal boat trips start from, with one about to leave. We paid our fee and jumped on. It was a good trip on part of the large canal network, with a helpful guide giving a commentary on what we saw. Partway through it started to spit, then rain, then it got rather wet. The guide/driver was nice enough to pause under bridges while he told us about the sights, then moved on between showers. By the end of the trip, the rain had passed over and the sun came out again.
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| The boat trip quay |
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| Ghent's three towers from the canal |
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| The last remaining city wall gate |
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| The Gravensteen, the only mediaeval counts' castle in the centre of a European city |
The roads are a little tricky for walking as there are few kerbs, and there are trams on many streets, and bikes everywhere, including many cargo bikes with giant baskets ahead of the rider. It would be easy to get knocked over as the bikes are silent, and not mucking about. With the university there are lots of young people about. The cafes were remarkably full any time of day or night. Shops full of lovely goods are everywhere, particularly beautiful clothes shops. There's an air of prosperity.
We finished our walk after the boat trip, then headed slowly back to our room, taking time to enjoy the city. We finally succumbed to the many tempting chocolate shops, taking time out to sit in one with a hot chocolate (made with 99% chocolate), a cup of coffee, and a couple of chocolates from their enormous selection. Quite a treat.
