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traveling-couch-potato · 4 years

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Belgium Day 3

My final day in Belgium and my most ambitious one yet. Today my goal is to hit up two cities. So I got up as early as my body would let me and I headed on a train toward city #1: Ghent.

I got there so early that my first visitation site of the day wasn’t even open yet so I wandered the streets for a bit.

10am hit and Gravensteen finally opened it’s doors to visitors. The castle is such an interesting site to behold amongst the modern flairs of the city like the lightrail system and bustling tourist scene.

The medieval castle was built around 1180 and it remains one of the major landmarks of the city.

I’ve visited quite a few castles during my various travels but Gravensteen’s self guided audio tour has been one of my favorites. The stops are very clearly marked and each listening point is adorned with a cartoonish tapestry that corresponds to the story your narrator is telling.

The castle offers a nice view of the city, plenty of quirky little spots you can discover for yourself, and a great story that teaches you about the history of the castle as well as Ghent as a whole.

After spending about 2 hours exploring the castle, I returned to the Leie riverfront for a boat tour of the city.

A wonderful way to get an overview of the city when you’re short on time.

After the boat tour I decided to grab lunch at the Restaurant Du Progres just across the river.

I’ve been dying to try Gentse Waterzooi. It’s a traditional stew that originated in Ghent with a creamy base that is hearty and delicious.

Once I was stuffed to the brim with cheese and creamy stew, I waddled my way over to St. Nicholas Church just around the corner.

The church is magnificent but quite small. More of a passing stop.

From there, I passed by another iconic landmark, the Het Belfort van Gent (Belfry & Cloth Hall). This is tallest of the belfries in Ghent and you can enter and climb to the top for a small fee. However I was limited on time and was happy with the view I saw in Gravensteen.

A quick walkby view of the Belfry & Cloth Hall. I wanted to climb up but was short on time and the weather wasn’t going to allow for the best views that day anyway.

I continued walking to my next official stop which was Saint Bavo’s Cathedral so I could view the famous Mystic Lamb Painting.

The alterpiece is tucked away in a dim side room. It’s a crowded experience to say the least. Tourists are shoulder to shoulder trying to find a spot to best view this piece. There’s a desk that offers an audioguide that explains each panel of this polyptych.

And with that visit, I finished up the Ghent portion of my trip and I hopped onto a train that took me to my second city stop of the day: Bruges. My first stop here was just a few steps away from the train station, Minnewater Lake. It was rather gloomy but it made for a very peaceful walk through the park.

The luscious greenery of this park was so lovely. I wish I could see it all under a bright blue sky.

My peaceful stroll continued onward toward Ten Wijingaerde. This is a preserved beguinage and though no Beguines live here anymore, it still functions as a convent for Benedictines.

You are asked to be quiet while exploring the grounds. There were a few rooms open for viewing but for the most part the area seemed very still.

I continued walking into the Walplein. It’s a small cobblestone square dotted with a few shops and cafes.

Eventually I end up on a path passing by the exterior of the Onze Lieve Vrouw Brugge (Church of our Lady, Bruges) which leads you right across the Bonifacius Bridge. It’s an inconspicuous little bridge but it has a lovely view of the canal. However it’s also full of tourists. From here I headed back to the riverfront and realized I had enough time left in the day to take a boat tour here as well. I went with the tour group Bootexcurseis Gruuthuse, though there are more than a few boat tour options available in the area.

The boat tour here was magical. The canal was overflowing with geese that would swim alongside the boats.

During the boat ride the tour guide mentioned several of the famous breweries we passed by and I wanted to try to pay one a visit so as soon as we docked I rushed over to Brouwerij Bourgogne Des Flandres. Unfortunately, tours of the brewery had already ended for the day but I walked around the premises a bit just to catch a glimpse of what I had missed.

At this point it felt appropriate to take another chocolate break at Chocolate de Julie on my way to The Market Square.

One last handful of delicious chocolate goodies.

The Market Square

Not much was going on and I had planned on going to dinner in the city but as I left a gentleman asked me to take his photo. He struck up a conversation and told me he was from the South of France and was here on holiday. We talked about our respective trips here and he insisted that while I was in town I needed to try some of the beer offerings. I was still a bit too full from my snack to go to dinner and he insisted he knew a nice beer shop so he led me to the shop where I picked up a beer. He talked about some windmills nearby and said they were just a short walk away and he eventually led me to a park with a nice view of Sint-Janshuismolen.

Enjoying a Gimbergen w/ a lovely view of the canal.

I did however cut the hangout short as the gentleman became increasingly touchy and let’s just say at this point it was clearly sexual harassment and I was too tired from my travels to deal with his behavior so I left him at the park and headed back into the city. Unfortunately the spot I had planned on going to for dinner was closed on the day I came by and I was too exhausted from what just happened to stay in the area so I hopped on the next train back to Brussels.

Once I had some time to recuperate at the hostel, I eventually got the energy to go find dinner. I didn’t want to wander too far so I grabbed a meal at Le 167, a modern French restaurant.

Seared scallops w/ whipped sweet potatoes & olive tapenade.

It was a tasty meal though not necessarily fitting of being my last meal here like I hoped but I felt good about how much I accomplished during my 3 day visit here so I went to bed happy if not still in a bit of shock from the hours before.

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