Gent, Belgium

26 AUG 2007

I grabbed one of the first trains from Antwerp to Gent on Sunday morning. I was all too happy to be leaving "Stinky" hotel. No problems with the trip from Antwerp to Gent and I was very relieved. Two train errors in two weekends was plenty. I arrived in Gent plenty early, it was only about 9:30. Immediately when I exited the train station, I felt safer than I had when I was walking around Antwerp. I appreciated the feeling and happily made my way from the station to Gravensteen.

On my way, I walked along the beautiful canals. I was reminded of the canals in Bruges, but found myself thinking that the water in Gent looked much more clean than it did in Bruges. It was a calm morning and the buildings reflected in smooth glassy surface.

Beautiful Canals



When I made it to the castle, I was happier than could be. This is what I have been waiting for, I thought... It's not as romantic as one might imaging it because the castle is nestled in the middle of the city with buildings all around it. Somehow when I imagined it, I thought it would be up on a hill with nothing else around. (You know, like in the movies.) But really it does make sense; the castle used to be the center of it all so it's not surprising that the city has been built up around it.

Gravensteen (The Castle!!!)




Gravensteen has an interesting history. Originally, it was the castle of the Count of Flanders and used as a residence for the count when he was in town to maintain the law and order. Later Gravensteen was a prison where the prisoners were housed 6 meters under ground in awful conditions. The castle now houses a room of armor and a room of medieval torture instruments. Both were very interesting, but I still shudder when I think about the awful ways they tortured people back in medieval times.

One can now wander from room to room in the castle and around the grounds for a small entrance fee. I slowly made my way though all of the rooms (including: the cellar, the chapel, the torture room, the grand hall/dining room, the tower) soaking it all in and imagining what it would have been like back in medieval times.

Views from the Top of the Castle

At the top of the tower, I met a couple of young women who were nice enough to snap a picture of me. I think the view from the tower is better than the view of me, but (pretty of not) now I have proof that I was there.



After leaving Gravensteen, I wandered the old town. I buzzed from point to point so that I wouldn't miss anything. It was nice that I picked up a map on Saturday and planned my route so that I could be sure not to miss any of the important sites. Unfortunately, the thing about spending only a day in Gent is that you really don't have time to do much but walk past most of the beautiful buildings, rather than go in most of them.

Groote Vleeshuis

Those are actual hams hanging from the ceiling.


5 Meter Cannon (never tested)


Vrijdag Markt
Wanna buy a pet on the market square?


Patershol (The Medieval Quarter)



The Churches

I really wish I would have had more time to go into the churches. The look so beautiful from the outside, but I am sure that they are even more striking on the inside.



At 2:00 I had to start making my way back to the train station and back to Maastricht.

Meandering Back to the Train Station


I kept my eyes open for a chocolate shop on the way, but was disappointed that I did not find one open on any of the streets that I walked. I guess I should have asked for chocolate shop tips from my Belgian friend, Daniel, as well as sight seeing insights. I'll just have to find the chocolate shops next time I'm in Gent.

Antwerp, Belgium

25 AUG 2007

Boy did I have an adventure trying to get myself to Antwerp last weekend. I thought I had it all planned out... I learned from my last trip that I needed to arrive before the VVV closed and that I needed to get on the right part of the train. I researched the train timetables and connections to Antwerp. There were 2 different routes taking about the same amount of time. I selected the earlier of the two. I even went to the train station on Friday night so that I could get my ticket and leave before the ticket desk opened on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, I ran into a new problem. (Dun dun dun - Bad sound effects) I did not know, but was soon to find out, that when you purchase a train ticket from one destination to another, the price of the ticket depends on the distance you are traveling. It is not a fixed price from one destination to another. When the ticket person came around to check tickets, I proudly handed mine over and was told that I was on the wrong train. (AGAIN!!! Argh!!!) I must have looked horrified. Fortunately, the woman was very kind to me, making a couple of calls to help me figure out how I could get myself back to Maastricht and then on the correct train to Antwerp. She even went so far as to write down for me the transfers I would need to make and the timetables. When we got off the train at the next stop she bought me a coffee before getting me back on a train to Maastricht (without charging me for the extra side-trip). I was so grateful!

Well, I made it to Antwerp without any additional problems but a couple of hours later than I had expected. Nevertheless, I had plenty of time to make my way around the city.

Antwerp Central Station


Antwerp seems to have two main draws: shopping and diamonds. I found myself squeezing my way through crowds of people as I made my way through the shopping district to Peter Paul Ruben's house (Rubenshuis) and then the river.

Historic Shopping District


Rubenshuis
I wasn't allowed to take pictures in the house because it was filled with Ruben and his pupils paintings. It was quite the mansion though, I assure you. The building from the outside makes it difficult to picture the grandeur I experienced on the inside.

The House


The Garden


Europe's First Skyscraper


I walked through the shell of a former castle (now turned museum) in Steen plein along the river. Sitting on the shore listening to the bells tole on the quarter hours was definitely the highlight of Antwerp for me. It was very relaxing.


For dinner I found very nice little Thai restaurant. I would definitely recommend Sombat Thai Cuisine on Vleeshuisstraat for anyone planning a trip to Antwerp in the near future. The atmosphere was neat and the food was great! I left stuffed.

After dinner, I made my way back to my stinky little hotel before dark. I definitely would not recommend the New International Youth Hotel. I was not sure whether I was happier with my eyes open or eyes closed. The room was not easy on my eyes, but at the same time I wondered what might be crawling around when I closed then. But... I guess that just illustrates the point that you get what you pay for when it comes to hotels in Europe. From now on, I am going to stick to hostels if I can help it.