Ghent & Bruges, Belgium (Oct 11-15) - Euro Adventure 2023

Following our stay in Amsterdam, we continued our exploration of northern Europe with a few days in Belgium. This was another country I had previously visited with my parents and daughter in advance of my Amsterdam Marathon experience. Chris had spent 24 hours in Brussels once, while working for Northwest Airlines.

Our train ride was uneventful, traveling through farmlands with canals and windmills. The Antwerp Train station was ornate and beautiful, as are many in Europe. Our weather continued to be mostly gray, overcast, raining off and on and much cooler than Italy. When we were wishing to escape the heat of Rome in late September, we definitely were not expecting this completely opposite weather pattern.

Following our travel day and arrival into Ghent, we walked from the train station to our Airbnb, stopping along the way for groceries. Once settled, we enjoyed a home cooked meal and watched Netflix while we reviewed our notes and proposed few days visiting. By this time in our adventure, we’d been traveling for more than 60 days, living out of our backpacks and logging significant miles on our feet. It’s fair to say, with the weather turning cooler and grayer, we began to slow down a bit. Belgium, and Amsterdam too, were more about immersing ourselves in the cities we visited and much less about seeing all the sights. It is amazing to me though, how we naturally sought out cool buildings, fun cafes and beautiful parks, only to later learn we’d seen much of “must see” places.

GHENT

Sitting at the confluence of the Lys or Leie and Scheldt rivers, Ghent is one of Belgium’s oldest cities and was the historical capital of Flanders (the coastal region of northwestern Europe, aka the Low Countries: Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg: BENELUX, where much of their land sits below or just slightly above sea level). As the former capital of Flanders, the transitional zone between Germany and France, the city gained early prominence growing to become one of the largest and richest cities, after Paris, in northern Europe until various revolts resulted in the predominantly Protestant northern provinces formed a Dutch Republic that became the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the mostly Catholic southern provinces formed the kingdom of Belgium.

Today, the Low Countries correspond to some of Europe’s highest population density, are highly urbanized, industrialized, and dependent upon external trade. They were early pioneers in economic integration, representing three of the six founding members of what is now known as the European Union and all founding members of NATO following WWII.

On our first full day in this laid-back university town, we meandered into the center of Ghent and found a cute coffee shop, where we camped out for a bit and plotted a course for our walking tour. Between clouds and rain drops, we were able to stop and admire the beautiful Gothic church of St Bavos, spending some time inside viewing and reading about its famous altarpiece and the Van Eyck brothers who painted it. We checked out the Belfry between torrential outbursts, but opted not to pay to climb the stairs into the clouds. We finally gave in to the weather and returned to our Airbnb for food and more Netflix.

We talked about visiting Brussels, but with the appearance of sunshine, albeit somewhat cold, we opted to spend more time exploring Ghent. We repeated our coffee shop routine, this time at a different location and brainstormed and strategized about what we wanted to accomplish with this blog. While the weather did not warm much, and the wind picked up, it remained mostly sunny. We were able to visit Gravensteen, the medieval castle from 1180 and residence to the Counts of Flanders, the Old Fish market with a statue of Neptune above the entrance, and stopped for a bite on the frequently photographed Graslei quay.

We struck up what turned into a few hours long great conversation with a sister and brother visiting from the Netherlands. They were the same ages as our kids 32/30, yet shared such different life perspectives on religion, politics, work, health and travel. This was the perfect example of why I love traveling: engaging conversations with people from such different backgrounds and locations that enlighten, engage and expand our minds. As we talked, the rain came and went, so once the sun showed itself, we set out to take in a bit more of the charm and beauty of Ghent, prior to returning to our Airbnb.

BRUGES

Prior to my Amsterdam Marathon experience in 1999, my parents, daughter and I spent a few days wandering the streets of Bruges. Chris had not, so on one of our days in Belgium, we returned to the Ghent train station and took the quick half hour ride to Bruges. As was our customary morning routine, we walked into the city center, found a charming coffee shop and enjoyed tea and waffles while we planned our self-guided tour.

Bruges was definitely more crowded than Ghent, and as we learned, the city was abuzz setting up for their own marathon scheduled the same day as Amsterdam’s Marathon. What I had remembered most from my prior visit were the picturesque canals along cobblestoned streets and the Bruges Markt. I recognized the main marketplace and primary administrative square (since 958) by its medieval bell tower, though it was crowded with trucks and tents preparing for the Bruges Marathon, which did not exist when I visited more than two decades earlier.

As one of the most well-preserved cities in Europe, having escaped much of the destruction in both world wars, and its storybook setting, Bruges remains a magical mix of beautiful canals, architecture, museums, breweries, and large city squares. We checked out the nearby Hotel Duke’s Palace, a 5-star luxury boutique hotel in the former residence of the Burgundy aristocracy from the 15th century. Burg Square is home to the Basilica of the Holy Blood, where for a mere coin you can view a relic, a piece of cloth believed to be stained with the blood of Jesus Christ enclosed in a crystal vial. Following a stop at the Bruges Beer Museum, we grabbed lunch and headed for the train. I was able to grab a quick snapshot of the beautiful Minnewater Park before the skies again opened in downpour.

Train ride from Amsterdam to Ghent, through Antwerp.

Changing trains in Antwerp.

Exiting Ghent train station.

Geeraard de Duivelsteen, Castle of Gerald the Devil, Ghent.

Major Seminary, an institution for training Catholic clergy for the diocese of Ghent, founded in 1569.

Royal Dutch Theatre building, on Sint-Baafsplein Square, between St. Bavo's Cathedral and the Bell Tower in Ghent.

The Van Eyck Brothers Monument in front of St Bavo's Cathedral. Tribute to the famous artists who painted the altar piece.

Pulpit of St. Bavo's Cathedral.

Interior of St. Bavo's Cathedral.

St. Peter's Church and Abbey, Ghent.

Courthouse in Ghent.

Crossing a bridge over the Lys River.

View along the River Leie towards the medieval city center.

In front of the Old Fish Market, Ghent.

Gravensteen Castle, Ghent.

More views of the city.

Walking Ghent.

St. Nicholas' Church, next to the Korenmarkt, was started in the 13th century.

Two notable quays in original medieval port of Ghent, now cultural and tourist hotspsots are Korenlei (with Korenmarkt shown here). Opposite is Graslei.

Graslei quay on the Leie River.

Another Graslei shot.

More Graslei quay.

Walking Ghent.

Ghent.

1898 The Post, once a post office, today, a boutique hotel, Ghent.

St. Michael's Church, Ghent.

Main Town Square, Bruges.

Market Square, Bruges.

Provincial Palace, Market Square, Bruges.

Hotel Duke's Palace, Bruges.

Typical Flemish building in Bruges, home to a clothing store.

Bruges City Hall, Stadhuis van Brugge, on Burg Square, built between 1376-1421.

Bruges.

Bruges.

Walking the streets of Bruges.

Statue de Simon Stevin, a Flemish mathematician who standardized the use of decimal fractions and created a "sand yacht", a carriage with sails for use along the seashore, Bruges.

Canals in Bruges.

Walking through Minnewater Park on our return to the Bruges train station.

Inside Bruges Beer Musuem.

Exterior to Basilica of the Holy Blood.

Entrance into the Basilica of the Holy Blood.

Interior of the Basilica of the Holy Blood.

Basilica of the Holy Blood, Bruges.

Basilica stained glass window.

Another Bruges Beer Museum shot.