On our trip to Belgium, we had the chance to discover a fascinating city with a medieval imprint - Ghent.
There, we spent a whole day in a crowd that enjoyed our spirit: old Gothic buildings, cool parks, well-kept neighborhoods and streets where modern tram traffic was accompanied by a lot of locals used to cycling. to get to work, shopping or any recreational activity.
The means of transport we arrived in Ghent is the one we are already used to, namely the train, our starting point being Brussels. Tickets were purchased from Brussels Midi (Central Station) and the price of a return ticket was around EUR 20.
In return for this amount, the Belgian railways provided us with truly western conditions on the Brussels-Ghent distance of 50 km. We also recommend, for Belgium, the option of traveling by train to reach different regions.
Arriving in Ghent, in Sint Pieters Station, we were impressed by the station building and its surroundings, where the imposing architecture merges with the unusual vegetation and the sea of bicycles.
Because we wanted to explore the city in detail, we set off on a looong walk to the Old Town to the coveted cathedrals.
The distance was not negligible: 3 km separated us from the center, and the walk took about 30 minutes, but we recommend you do so because you have the chance to discover parks, typical Belgian houses, quiet, but also the kind in which the preference for bicycle transport can change the whole appearance of a city, making it freer, airier and "worthy" of being taken by tourists.
On the way to the Old Town, we passed the Citadelpark, a huge park of raw green, with Greek-style monuments dominated by roses and vines. Also, the locals were enjoying ... full, too full of vegetation. How can we miss something like that?
After the foray into nature and the walk through the Belgian neighborhoods, here we are in the center of Ghent.
We were greeted by old buildings, refurbished and maintained in perfect condition. The movie scenes were not missing either. With the old center crossed by a chic river - the Lys River - and the medieval atmosphere predominating, filmmakers did not lose sight of the city's potential to become a setting for their filming.
Pitted in the shadow of the Asian restaurant Wok u Want near the River Lys, with a pho soup on the table, we witnessed a movie scene, a unique experience for us, which we enjoyed.
Tired of soup, I set out to explore the cathedrals.
As we drew attention from the title, Ghent is a city of cathedrals, their towers witnessing the rich history and heritage of a magnificent culture. Admission is free, and you may be lucky enough to catch even an organ concert, or at least the awkward rehearsals of a novice, as happened to us.
St. Nicholas Cathedral, one of the five cathedrals so close to each other, is the oldest landmark in the city of Ghent, its construction dating back to the thirteenth century. It was popular with merchants working in the nearby Korenmarkt (grain market), for which even a special space for their guild was set up in the cathedral, with vendors attending the religious services of the time in groups.
Here, to the delight of our slightly deaf ears, a few songs of an apprentice who performed organ scores took place.
St. James's Cathedral - was built in 1093 on an old wooden church and now sums up several architectural styles that have been built over the centuries. Originally created in the Romanesque style, the cathedral was renovated both in the 13th century, with two Gothic towers, and in the 14th century, when it was endowed with a beautiful Baroque façade.
St. Michael's Cathedral, created in the Gothic style, was completed in 1672. Its construction lasted over 200 years, but the tower remained unfinished. Unfortunately, we didn't visit her because of the movie scene that was in full swing, but that didn't stop us from taking a few photos.
St. Bavo's Cathedral is perhaps the most imposing of the five cathedrals. It has a height of 89 meters and is assigned the role of headquarters of the diocese of the city.
Inside it resides the Gent altar, a masterpiece of European art, built and painted in the fifteenth century and attributed, as an artistic achievement, to Hubert and Jan van Eyck, brothers and famous Flemish painters.
Our Lady of Saint Peter’s Cathedral, a cathedral created in a purely Baroque style, is an emblematic building for this type of architecture. It was dominated by spirituality and an atmosphere of tranquility over the centuries, until much of the interior was destroyed during the French Revolution. However, paintings belonging to 17th century Flemish artists, such as Jan Janssens and Gaspar de Craeyer, are still preserved today.
Slightly tired after visits, we enjoyed a coffee in the middle of these architectural wonders, at a very original cafe built - in the form of a greenhouse, with glass walls - called Ray, which we recommend as part of the experience in Ghent.
Losing ourselves in the world of medieval places of worship, we thought we would return to reality as soon as we reached the so-called castle "of the counts". We couldn't have been more bitter!
Located 500 meters away from the center, the Gravensteen Castle, also called the Castle of the Counts of Flanders meant, for us, the culmination of a day trip to Ghent. It is surrounded by two arms of the river Lys, with the role of protecting it, and its history began in the Middle Ages, in the year 890. More than a millennium separates us from the beginnings of this medieval miracle!
What we see today was completed in 1180 by Count Philip of Alsace, inspired by the architectural style of the castles built by the Teutonic Knights. It served as a residence for the upper class of those times, but also a prison and cotton factory, earning its place as an emblematic objective of the city.
The price of an entrance ticket is EUR 12 for adults, and the full program is here.
After visiting the surroundings of the castle, we took Tram 1, an ultramodern means of transport, to return in time to Sint Pieters station and catch the train back to Brussels.
You can find the complete route of the trams in the city in the link, the tram being, next to the bicycle, almost the only travel preferences of the locals, but also of the tourists. As I did not have a bicycle (ironically, given the wave of bicycles encountered everywhere), I was left with this solution.
We really liked the one-day experience in Ghent, which we would have liked to extend at least two or three days.
If you have questions about the city, objectives, prices, travel recommendations, do not hesitate to write to us!
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