Today, we took a train from Brussels to Ghent to explore this old Belgian town. The train ride from Brussels was relatively short. When we arrived in Ghent, we took a trolley to Ghent's downtown.
There are many old Renaissance buildings throughout Ghent, and we explored the city on foot. Touring Ghent by foot or bicycle is best, as the streets are narrow. Few cars are seen in the town, as there is limited parking.
We walked to the Korenmarkt (Wheat Market), a large central square with many shops and restaurants in the middle of Ghent. Even the Post Office looks quite Gothic in the beautiful Gothic building below.
Many canals flow through central Ghent, and many tourists float by, enjoying the beautiful scenery of flowers, historical buildings, and bridges. Ghent is a university town, with the Ghent University (38,000 students) making up the largest share.
Of the many historical sites in Ghent, we decided to stop by St. Michael's Church, a Roman Catholic Church whose construction started in the 12th century.
The exterior of St. Michael's looks old and deteriorated due to looting and destruction that occurred in the past (due to religious conflicts).
Inside, the ceiling was relatively recently rebuilt.
From here, we walked across the bridge to another part of Ghent - to the St. Nicholas Church.
St. Nicholas is one of the oldest churches in Ghent. Construction on St. Nicholas began in the 13th century as a replacement for another church that occupied the same space.
We could not get inside St. Nicholas - as it was closed - so we decided to continue our walk to the Belfry Tower.
The Belfry of Ghent, as it is commonly known, is one of three medieval towers that overlook Ghent. The tower was constructed to provide an early warning of impending invasions. It houses a large bell to warn the city of incoming armies.
We decided to step inside and go to the top of Belfry.
Inside the Belfry are a few rooms with statues of ancient Belgian warriors (who presumably protected Ghent from old enemies).
We decided to climb the stairs and take the elevator to the top.
On the next floor, next to the elevator, is a giant bronze statue of a winged Dragon.
A mechanical contraption also plays music by ringing different bells (each bell was designed to play an additional note). We listened to the music being made, and it was beautiful.
Finally, we arrived at the top of the tower. We can see all around Ghent, including the older and newer constructions.
Here is a nice view of St. Nicholas Church from the top of the Belfry.
In the far distance, one can see the walls of the ancient Gravensteen (Castle of the Count), which now houses the Museum of Torture.
In Belfry, several small bells and one large bell warn the city. Here it is:
After taking the elevator down, we explored the nearby shops. Since Belgium is famous for waffles, we looked at what was available.
The bread looked delicious, too, but we were not yet starving.
Amazingly, almost every building in Ghent is so exciting and unique. The whole city is practically a museum of history.
The City Hall of Ghent is housed in a more modern-looking building.
Nearby, there is a beautiful building where concerts and other performances play. It's called the NTGent Schouwburg.
Here is another look at the Belfry Tower from the side.
From here, we walked to the St. Bravo Cathedral, which was undergoing much reconstruction. The exterior was covered with reconstruction ladders and a tarp, so I did not take many photos of the exterior.
St. Bravo Cathedral houses many beautiful statues and paintings.
The St. Bravo Cathedral is beautiful but a bit dark and depressing.
There are all sorts of eclectic restaurants and shops nearby. Here is a photo of the Pink Flamingo.
The Friday Market nearby had a lot of restaurants, but it was too noisy with all the construction going on.
The canals are everywhere in Ghent but are used mainly by tourist boats ferrying tourists.
There is a giant cannon in the middle of Ghent with an enormous cannonball.
We decided to stop by for a snack and try out Ghent's Belgian waffles in this eclectic waffle house. The waffles with strawberries were quite good but not better than the ones in Brussels.
After our snack, I decided to tour the Gravensteen Castle and Museum of Torture while Inna relaxed at the nearby coffee shop. A few colorful characters were walking around.
I walked across the street to the Gravensteen.
Inside, there were lots of medieval weapons and instruments of torture.
There were cases of assorted medieval weapons, pikes, javelins, etc.
And some very unusual swords.
The view from the top of Gravensteen is lovely, with a good overlook of Ghent.
The top of the Gravensteen resembles a typical castle with spaces and murder holes for archers.
Inside the Museum of Torture in the Gravensteen, there are lots of horrible instruments, including the Guillotine.
The blade on the Guillotine still looks sharp.
There were many other instruments of torture, many too horrific to show here.
Coming out of the Gravensteen, it felt good to know that these methods of torture are no longer practiced,
After finishing with Gravensteen, I met up with Inna at the nearby coffee shop.
We took the boat tour and floated around many of Ghent's canals.
As it was hot, we decided to stop by to snack on delicious ice cream (with lots and lots of whipped cream). It was quite a treat.
The main drag in Ghent has the usual luxury brands (and many American shops, including Starbucks).
There are many old Renaissance buildings throughout Ghent, and we explored the city on foot. Touring Ghent by foot or bicycle is best, as the streets are narrow. Few cars are seen in the town, as there is limited parking.
We walked to the Korenmarkt (Wheat Market), a large central square with many shops and restaurants in the middle of Ghent. Even the Post Office looks quite Gothic in the beautiful Gothic building below.
Many canals flow through central Ghent, and many tourists float by, enjoying the beautiful scenery of flowers, historical buildings, and bridges. Ghent is a university town, with the Ghent University (38,000 students) making up the largest share.
Of the many historical sites in Ghent, we decided to stop by St. Michael's Church, a Roman Catholic Church whose construction started in the 12th century.
The exterior of St. Michael's looks old and deteriorated due to looting and destruction that occurred in the past (due to religious conflicts).
Inside, the ceiling was relatively recently rebuilt.
From here, we walked across the bridge to another part of Ghent - to the St. Nicholas Church.
St. Nicholas is one of the oldest churches in Ghent. Construction on St. Nicholas began in the 13th century as a replacement for another church that occupied the same space.
We could not get inside St. Nicholas - as it was closed - so we decided to continue our walk to the Belfry Tower.
The Belfry of Ghent, as it is commonly known, is one of three medieval towers that overlook Ghent. The tower was constructed to provide an early warning of impending invasions. It houses a large bell to warn the city of incoming armies.
We decided to step inside and go to the top of Belfry.
Inside the Belfry are a few rooms with statues of ancient Belgian warriors (who presumably protected Ghent from old enemies).
We decided to climb the stairs and take the elevator to the top.
On the next floor, next to the elevator, is a giant bronze statue of a winged Dragon.
A mechanical contraption also plays music by ringing different bells (each bell was designed to play an additional note). We listened to the music being made, and it was beautiful.
Finally, we arrived at the top of the tower. We can see all around Ghent, including the older and newer constructions.
Here is a nice view of St. Nicholas Church from the top of the Belfry.
In the far distance, one can see the walls of the ancient Gravensteen (Castle of the Count), which now houses the Museum of Torture.
In Belfry, several small bells and one large bell warn the city. Here it is:
After taking the elevator down, we explored the nearby shops. Since Belgium is famous for waffles, we looked at what was available.
The bread looked delicious, too, but we were not yet starving.
Amazingly, almost every building in Ghent is so exciting and unique. The whole city is practically a museum of history.
The City Hall of Ghent is housed in a more modern-looking building.
Nearby, there is a beautiful building where concerts and other performances play. It's called the NTGent Schouwburg.
Here is another look at the Belfry Tower from the side.
From here, we walked to the St. Bravo Cathedral, which was undergoing much reconstruction. The exterior was covered with reconstruction ladders and a tarp, so I did not take many photos of the exterior.
St. Bravo Cathedral houses many beautiful statues and paintings.
The St. Bravo Cathedral is beautiful but a bit dark and depressing.
There are all sorts of eclectic restaurants and shops nearby. Here is a photo of the Pink Flamingo.
The Friday Market nearby had a lot of restaurants, but it was too noisy with all the construction going on.
The canals are everywhere in Ghent but are used mainly by tourist boats ferrying tourists.
There is a giant cannon in the middle of Ghent with an enormous cannonball.
We decided to stop by for a snack and try out Ghent's Belgian waffles in this eclectic waffle house. The waffles with strawberries were quite good but not better than the ones in Brussels.
After our snack, I decided to tour the Gravensteen Castle and Museum of Torture while Inna relaxed at the nearby coffee shop. A few colorful characters were walking around.
I walked across the street to the Gravensteen.
Inside, there were lots of medieval weapons and instruments of torture.
There were cases of assorted medieval weapons, pikes, javelins, etc.
And some very unusual swords.
The view from the top of Gravensteen is lovely, with a good overlook of Ghent.
The top of the Gravensteen resembles a typical castle with spaces and murder holes for archers.
Inside the Museum of Torture in the Gravensteen, there are lots of horrible instruments, including the Guillotine.
The blade on the Guillotine still looks sharp.
There were many other instruments of torture, many too horrific to show here.
Coming out of the Gravensteen, it felt good to know that these methods of torture are no longer practiced,
After finishing with Gravensteen, I met up with Inna at the nearby coffee shop.
We took the boat tour and floated around many of Ghent's canals.
As it was hot, we decided to stop by to snack on delicious ice cream (with lots and lots of whipped cream). It was quite a treat.
The main drag in Ghent has the usual luxury brands (and many American shops, including Starbucks).
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