This morning we hung around Brugge for a little longer, and Robyn bought another 40 Euros of chocolate because she started eating the first purchase. We eventually made our way to the train station to head to Ghent where we are spending the night. The train ride was a bit wild. We originally were going to take a 12:17 train that was going to Ghent and then on to Antwerp essentially the same train that we took in from Antwerp. But as we were standing on the platform the time and destination changed to 12:36 and Brussels. Not really a problem because it was an intercity train which should stop at Ghent. However because people were boarding the train thinking it was also heading to Amsterdam, there was a tremendous amount of confusion for about 10 minutes as to which was the correct train. The train to Amsterdam was actually delayed until 12:40 and leaving from Platform 4, so people were getting on and off our train. One guy got off the train in a hurry when he realized what happened then comes running back on just before the train is to leave to grab his backpack. It was a classic cluster-f if you know what I mean.

We got to Ghent , grabbed a cab, and headed to the hotel. This is actually a very pretty city with a combination of both old and new architecture. There are many things to see but we only had the afternoon and Robyn was already wishing we had more time. Since Ghent is also a large university town there are many young people and what appears to be an active night life especially on weekends. After checking into the hotel our first stop was Gravensteen Castle or the Castle of the Counts which looks over the old part of the city. The castle was built by Philip of Alsace in 1180 and modeled after Crusader castles he saw during the Second Crusade. The castle served as the seat of the Counts of Flanders until the 14th century, then a courthouse, a prison, and eventually was abandoned. The castle decayed into ruins as locals began using bricks from it to build other houses. Towards the end of the 19th century there were plans to demolish what remained. In 1885 the city of Ghent began a long renovation project. Today it is a walk-through museum with examples of execution devices including swords used for beheading and a guillotine. There are also many torture devices that were used in the 14th through 18th centuries. Looking at these torture devices and reading the descriptions of how they were used it is amazing how man can come up with all the different ways to kill. The torture to death usually was meant as a humiliation for a crime or to get a confession followed by death. The castle tour takes you to the top where there was a very good view of the city from which Robyn took many pictures The problem with going to the top is there are many stairs up and down and our knees complained the whole way.



















After we finished the castle tour Robyn wanted to see St. Bavo's (not St Bevo or St Bagel as I called it) Cathedral. This cathedral contains an altarpiece 'The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb' painted by Hubert and Jan van Eyck in 1432. It is known for its incredible detail and colors. It is currently undergoing restoration in phases but is open for the public to see. St. Bavo's is impressive and is the second largest Catholic cathedral I have seen in Europe (Notre Dame being the largest we have visited). But I said this two years ago and I will state it again--after awhile all cathedrals look the same, some are just larger than others. The only reason to visit a cathedral like St. Bavo's is to see a masterpiece medieval painting like the Mystic Lamb. There is also a large painting by Paul Rubens that is quite beautiful. The Mystic Lamb has had an interesting history. Since it is a Catholic altarpiece, and it survived the Protestant reformation. Then, it fell into French hands when Napoleon took it, and finally the Nazis stole it during WW II. The altarpiece was returned in 1945 but had been damaged since it was hidden in a salt mine--one panel is still missing.





Ghent has three towers that dominate the old city and all three are in a row. The first is the bell tower of St Nicholas Church, the second is the Belfry which was built as a watch tower, and the third is the bell tower of St. Bavo's. Robyn got a few pictures of the row of towers from the bridge over the canal closest to the towers.







That was all we had for Ghent. Wish we had more time. Maybe in a few years we can come back and spend more time in Brugge and Ghent, but I will pass on Brussels. Tomorrow we travel again by train to Heidelberg, Germany.