I had a morning walking tour, History and Legends of Ghent, scheduled my first day in Ghent so took an early train from Bruges then went directly to Cours Saint George to drop off my backpack. The reception didn’t look great but the room was fine. Very large and comfortable.

Our tour guide was informative and friendly. We started at St. Michael’s Bridge and walked along the Leie canal and the Korenlei neighborhood. We heard about the old tax house, sailors home, and the brothel next door that is now a Marriot. She explained how two swans facing each other is a symbol for love because their necks form a heart. When the swans face away, it indicates just “temporary love”, i.e. a brothel. The building is a UNESCO heritage site, however, so Marriott can’t just remove the swans.

We went to Sint-Veeleplein, and talked about Gravensteen or the Castle of the Counts. We heard about the only time the castle was ‘conquered’ was by students upset by an increase in taxes on beer. We stopped to talk about the Stadhuis and the very different styles of the facade; they had to stop building because they ran out of money.

We also visited the new Market Hall. According to our guide, this “ugly” building was the reason Ghent was denied UNESCO World Heritage status, like the historic center of Bruges. I have no idea whether this is true in the slightest but found it interesting that, according to her, many in town dislike this building. It is used for outdoor markets and other events.

Finally we ended up at St. Bavo’s Cathedral. We visited the church for a short time, St. Bavo’s is the main church of Ghent, the oldest church here dates back to the 10th c, this current building is from the 13th to 16th c. The cathedral is on the huge plaza, Sint-Baafsplein.

After the tour I went over to the Ghent Belfry, also on Sint-Baafsplein. This is a UNESCO Heritage site. There are several flights of stairs to see some exhibits, then an elevator to the very top. One of the exhibits is the original dragon that used to be on top of the tower as well as a full-size replica. The dragon was the tower’s guardian. The views are wonderful over the plaza, Sint-Bavo’s, and Sint-Nicholas.

After lunch I went back to Sint Bavo’s Cathedral to see the Adoration of the Lamb. To view the altar is €12.50 but for €16 they offer an augmented reality experience. I bought this ticket. The headset offers language specific information on the history of the church with great video. I visited multiple floors seeing other paintings and exhibits, learned the 600 year history of the altarpiece, and information on the artists, Hubert and Jan Van Eyck. I turned in the headset then visited the second floor where the art is displayed. Great visit, highly recommend. This altarpiece was one of the works featured in the movie Monuments Men. The open altarpiece is composed of 20 paintings, closed it displays another 8.

I had purchased tickets in advance to Gravensteen for that afternoon. I was able to go directly in using my QR code on the entry ticket. I got the audio guide; they offer two different tours and you have to pick just one. I picked the top five but there is also a comedy tour. The main part of the visit takes you to the three floors of the castle keep. There are great views, especially from the roof. There are good exhibits throughout, weapons, information on the history, beautiful huge halls. Then I walked all around the walls.

I also walked out to see Sint Pietersabdij church and Abbey, the gardens and cloister. Started in 1629, it took 100 years to complete. On the way, I stopped to see Sint-Nicolas Church, right in Korenmarkt, from the 13th c.

I stopped to see the UNESCO site, Beguine or Begijnhof O.L.V. ter Hoyen. I learned the term beguine/beguinage (French) or begijnhof/begijnhoven (Flemish) in Bruges. These started in the 13th c, at first just one large house shared by single women, widows, or lay women who wanted to live in a community and serve God but without joining a convent.

They evolved to many small communal houses around a courtyard, including a church and infirmary, encircled by walls. Most of the cities in the Low Countries had at least one beguinage. The beguinage is home to the Church of the Presentation of Our Lady.

I visited the Gothic church, St. Michael’s, before enjoying longer walks through Korenlei, Graslei and the Patershol neighborhoods. All have great architecture, beautiful sites, there is much to enjoy.

I stopped to see Sint-Jacobskerk on my way to Trollekeller to have a beer. All these churches are part of the nine “Monumental Churches of Ghent”. There are MKG brochures in most of the churches.

I visited the Huis van Alijn Museum in the Kraanlei neighborhood. It has some interesting exhibits on Daily Life and a special exhibit on Fairground wonders. The building was formerly a children’s hospital and an almshouse to provide care for the elderly.

I also went to see Graffiti Street or Werregarenstraat. There are some speciality shops in the alley, including the Chocolate Maker.

Like in Brugge, I did a canal tour here in Ghent, with Gent-Watertourist. I am glad I did both. Despite similar architecture, beautiful canals and bridges both cities are so beautiful and worth exploring the canals. We went up and down the Lieve and Leie canals.

Restaurants

• I went to a Vietnamese restaurant I found on Google maps, but it was closed for a month, then walked over to Vrijdagmarkt and what was supposed to be a Thai restaurant. Nothing there. I had walked past Chulo on the way so decided to go back there and picked up some Pad Thai takeaway for the hotel, tried to go back for some samosas but they were closed the next day.
• I’ve seen Le Pain Quotidien many places but not sure I’ve stopped in before. It was a convenient place for a breakfast sandwich.
• I noticed Joey’s Smash Burgers because it’s my granddaughter’s nickname, but decided to stop in a couple days later when I wanted a burger. Good burger, and of course, great Belgian frites with a variety of sauce choices. Outside seating.
• Scopa Focaccia is on the large Groentenmarkt plaza. There are many restaurants to choose from, but I saw people eating some excellent sandwiches. I got a huge Inferno, that was more than enough for lunch and dinner.
• There were Leonidas Chocolate shops in all three cities. I stopped in for some pralines one afternoon in Ghent. Finished them off in Brussels so made room for more Belgian chocolate to bring home.

Breweries

• Artevelde Brewery has a lovely patio. Very close to my hotel so stopped in for a “lunch” of a beer and excellent frites.
• Gentse Gruut
• I read about this bar, in an old medieval cellar, Trollekelder. It has 100s of beers available. Many on tap and hundreds more in bottles. Friendly bartenders willing to spend time talking about beer with you.
• Not impressed with the location or the beer at LS Dok Brewing. But they have quite a variety of their own and guest taps.