Europe 2019 - Day 15 (Part 1)

21 May 2019, Tuesday

I woke up feeling absolutely horrible. Sore throat, feverish, phlegm, the works. But the show must go on. So to the bus station to take the train to Ghent (20 minutes by train). 

In Ghent we took a bus to town and the first thing we saw was the Castle of the Counts. This building dates back to the Roman occupation. The Counts of Flanders later added more walls and towers sometime in 1180. There is a collection of guns and torture instruments inside but we didn’t go in. From there we walked to the tourist information centre, with the gate of the Old Fish Market nearby. We obtained a map and set out. It’s an even smaller town than Bruges, and we could probably finish sightseeing in half a day. 

Before that, I need to vent. When I changed money in Malaysia to bring with me, as usual they gave me big notes, the biggest being 500 Euros. And now no one will accept this big note, including the bank! It’s ridiculous. First world countries my foot. Can’t even do a simple banking transaction like this. After all it is legal tender so I really do not see why they can’t change it into smaller notes for me. Needless to say I was in a foul mood after this especially since I’m also not feeling well. 

Anyway, next we passed the Great Butcher’s Hall (medieval covered hall houses surrounding a market like square), Graslei and Korenlei (Ghent’s medieval inland port) and across St Michael’s Bridge to St Michael’s Church. At the back of the church is the Pand, formerly a Dominican friary now owned by Ghent university. 

Then back across the bridge to St Nicholas’ church, dating back to the 13th century. Then the City Pavilion with the Grote Triomfante Bell or Roeland Bell next to it. This was one of the first large bells in the belfry that cracked in 1914, and was then removed, restored and placed here next to St Nicholas’ Church. On one of the walls housing the bell is a ‘De Maagd’ fresco by Michael Borremans, one of Ghent’s internationally renowned top artists. 

Then the Belfry, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1313, the people of Ghent began to build the Belfry and designated it as the city’s proudest symbol of independence. Then pass NTGent, Ghent’s municipal theatre, to St Bavo’s Cathedral, or what I call the Lamb of God. 

This is a Gothic Cathedral built on the ruins of the 12th century Romanesque church that once stood here. There are a number of famous works of art here, the most famous of which is the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by Hubert and Jan van Eyck around 1432. We could only catch a glimpse of the painting which was fine since it wasn’t the original painting; the original was being kept elsewhere due to restoration works. 

Finally to the Castle of Gerald the Devil, a former Gothic stone house of a nobleman. Why the name I do not know.