Welsand's in London

Freezing but having fun in Gent, Belgium

Though the weather was a bit chilly (low 30's with some wind) it was a busy trip. Gent is very much a walking city and we were able to visit many sites in our four day trip--all within walking distance of our hotel, which was fantastic!

Thursday
Jeremy had to work on Thursday and Friday so Sophie and I (having become accustomed to exploring on our own) set out in Gent and walked for hours. The first site we explored was Sint-Baafskathedraal a.k.a. St. Baaf's or St. Bavo's. This magnificent structure is worth visiting for the building itself as well as for the treasures inside. The large Gothic brick and granite church was built over several centuries. It is well known for holding the Gent Altarpiece or The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, a painting of Jan van Eyck's. It was an interesting piece to see in itself. The remaining art works in the church were gorgeous as well as the sculptures and altar in the center of the church. It has no less than 22 altars! Unbelievable!

Next we walked by the Belfort tower (Belfry) which was completed in 1380 and is the symbol of the city's independence. Unfortunately it was off-season so we couldn't take the lift up to the top of the tower. The building has an ornate copper dragon at the top to add to its interesting look.

In the afternoon we visited St. Nicholas' Church (Sint-Niklaaskerk). Another absolutely stunning church filled with beautiful art and sculptures within a gorgeous Gothic building. The oldest parts of the church date back to the 13th century but it was not complete until the 18th century. The baroque high altar is a typical energetic design of the period--it was very beautiful and huge!

Across from our hotel was the City Hall, one of the most beautiful buildings in the city! It is described as partly flamboyant Gothic and partly Renaissance, built in the 16th century. It really was interesting and extremely detailed. It was a great site to see everyday when leaving/arriving at our hotel.

That evening after dinner Sophie and I took a stroll down the walkway on the Lys River and enjoyed the wonderful buildings of the Graslei and Korenlei. It was beautiful. Water plays a prominent role in Gent, as it arose at the confluence of the Lys and the Schedlt.

Friday
Gent has two history museums, perfect for children! The first one we visited was De wereld van Kina: het Huis. Sophie enjoyed looking at the fossils, shells and insects. They had a special display on reproduction obviously for older children. Had I been able to read Dutch I had no doubts that I would have learned something!

In the afternoon I enjoyed the Design Museum. The periods rooms were by far my favorite, although the glass exhibit was interesting, Dale Chihuly had one piece on display, sadly I did recognize any other names.

Later, Sophie and I visited the De wereld van Kina: de Tuin. This museum focuses on plants and some insects. There is a botanical garden outside that I'm sure is spectacular in the right season. The highlight for us was the collection of living spiders.

Saturday
The Gravensteen (Castle of the Counts) was the focus of our morning and is one of the main attractions in Gent. In 1180 Philips of Alsace, Count of Flanders, gave the medieval castle its actual appearance. Gravensteen originally had a military function which was lost in the 14th century. Since then the castle has been used as a mint, court of justice, a prison and cotton mill. It includes dungeons, historic rooms, and a crypt and two museums which highlight torture instruments (very disturbing!) and guns, crossbows, swords and battle clubs.

During Sophie's afternoon nap in the buggie we visited the most popular and talked about art museum in Gent called S.M.A.K. (Munical Museum of Contempory Art). It is a trendsetter on the contemporary art scene in Belgium. Jeremy and I however were not fans; it was actually our least favorite museum we have ever visited. It is much too "modern" for us. We did enjoy a video about anti-social behavior, which was amusing.

Next we shopped a bit and explored the many stores of Gent. There is a quite a bit of shopping and some real unique shops. In the end, chocolate won out as our main purchase.
Sunday
On Sunday morning we visited the House of Alijn. The museum is housed in the 14th century Children Alijn's Hospice, the only remaining hospice in Gent. It offers an introduction to the culture of everyday life in the first half of the 20th century. There was a special exhibit on Eskimos which was very interesting; we watched a video on how igloos are made. Sophie ventured into a room where people were making lace by hand (lace is something Belgium is known for), it was really interesting to watch and was a highlight of our visit! This museum was more interesting than we thought it would be and all three of us enjoyed it.


The last museum that we visited on Sunday afternoon was the Caermersklooster (Provincial Center for Art and Culture). The restored church, cloisters and outbuildings of the former monastery of the Carmelites allows individual artists to exhibit in a monumental space. While smaller than SMAK but still hosting contemporary art, Jeremy and I enjoyed it. There was a video playing that highlighted the work of the 3 major Belgium artists whose work was currently on exhibit. Again, we were amused by another video on anti-social behavior which must be a current theme in Belgium modern art.

Food
Who could want more than waffles, chocolate and french fries? Belgium, not France is home of the french fry! Really! We of course had to try all of the local specialties. Overall the food was good, having a huge selection of restaurants. Jeremy claims some excellent lunches with colleagues while working.

Gent was a great visit, especially if you stay in the city center. It is a quick trip on the Eurostar under the chunnel and relatively affordable. Worth a stop if you are in the area. Gent is authentic Belgium with a little tourist flavor...

All additional photos from our trip to Gent can be found at Shutterfly. Just click on the Shutterfly link to view...

posted by Chris @ 1:00 AM