Today I want to talk to you about Gent, another small town in Flanders that struck me a lot (though less than Bruges, as I already mentioned). We arrived here from Antwerp (the info about the trip I had given you in the post dedicated to useful information), and we immediately realised how the city knew how to be charming, even if much smaller than Antwerp and Brussels. We visited it in just one day (except for the castle) and now, going with an order, I will try to tell you about our visit to Ghent.
We head immediately to the embarkations for boat tours, to have a general overview of the city seen from its waterways. We chose the one dedicated to the medieval Gent (but I doubt that the other tours are very different, at most change explanations and We only paid a little for the route, for which we paid 7 euros for this tour. I like to do this kind of trips because they help me to get a first idea of the city I visit: I always think that so you can discover things to see at out of the tour planned before departure. I advise you to try, at least in Gent, to do this experience.
Just after lunch, we went to visit the Cathedral of San Bavone (or, to be more straightforward, the Cathedral of Gent) which is a splendour (pity only that the facade is under renovation, then hidden from view curious tourists). The interior amazed me, as it happened for all the churches and cathedrals visited during this trip, for the simplicity of the walls and the dedication in the realisation of the beautiful windows. Very interesting (indeed very much) are the triptychs that are inside the cathedral itself and I advise you not to lose them for anything in the world (you would, in my opinion, a big mistake not to give him even a quick look before continuing the visit to the cathedral and the city). Among these, the Polyptych of the Mystic Lamb is very important. Work considered one of the highest of all Flemish painting and one of the Seven Wonders of Belgium (the masterpiece of the brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck). Before leaving, do not forget a visit to the Crypt, small and a little bit fresh.
Since Gent is small, we take little to reach the next stage of our visit or the Church of St. Nicholas (Sint-Niklaaskerk). It is the oldest church in the city. The admission ticket costs 3 euros. The church stands where once was the Korenmarkt (“Grain Market”) and is, according to the information I found (maybe I was so expert about art and architecture) it is a good example of Gothic architecture, in its first phase. Funny was to find a girl who played the organ; we could call it a sort of “unexpected concert”.
One thing that we were very interested in seeing was the Illuseum, or the museum of illusions (entrance ticket 5 euros, you can not take pictures and videos inside, you get there with buses 17 and 18, which pass near the church of San Nicola). This small museum is only open on Sunday afternoons and, if you happen to Gent on a “whole” Sunday, you absolutely must go there! We found many amusing games and “illusions”, some almost “a headache”.
The last visit I recommend you to do during a trip to Gent is the one at the Castle of the Counts of Flanders or Gravensteen (ticket 10 euros, closes at 18, last admission at 17:15). Of medieval origin, it was the centre of the power of the Counts of Flanders for the entire Middle Ages and is the only castle built by the counts of Flanders at that time to have reached us practically intact! We wanted to go there on Sunday, after the museum of illusions, but unfortunately, we did not have time, and we postponed to Monday, returning from Bruges (it was a race, but we managed the same). Compared to the size of the city seems to be much larger than it is, to visit it took us just over an hour, and you can find the explanation in few different languages. A little suggestion: in the women’s bathrooms there was an awful smell! Go prepared for the worst, which is better.
I leave you a bit more of photos of my stay in Gent.