Castle, Canals and Cobblestones

Day Two - Bruges and Ghent

Started the morning with a broken shower door (guess that's what you get for the 4 stars - the concierge was very apologetic and addressed the problem quickly). Not a big deal, but I did wonder if it would be a sign of things to come!

To make up for the broken door, I received a great surprise at the train station. The ticket agent advised that it was some sort of special fare day in Belgium. All the trains, trams and buses you can ride in the country in a single day for just 11 euros! (This was the amount I expected to pay for a one-way fare to Bruges.) It was an added bonus because I was planning to attempt to see both Bruges and Ghent in a single day. My concierge friend at the hotel thought I was being quite ambitious, but I figured I'd give it a try.

Both Bruges (Brugge) and Ghent (Gent, Gand) are known for their well-preserved medieval centres. While Bruges is Beglium's most popular destination (overrun with more than 2 million visitors each year), Ghent remains a relatively undiscovered gem.

The train for Bruges left at 8:25am and it took about one hour to reach the town. I strolled around the town for about an hour. At first, it was relatively quiet. By 10:30 it was tourist-central and I decided it was time to stoll along the lovely canals and poke around a few shops. Eventually, I made my way to the major tourist attraction -- the Markt, which contains the Belfort (Belfray) that was named a UNESCO world heritage site in 2000. The Markt would have been a nice place to spend some time -- if there were about half as many tourists! I walked through the main shopping district for a bit before heading back to the train station. Grabbed a coffee and a quick bite before hopping on the 1pm train bound for Ghent. It was just a 25 minute ride (barely enough time to write a couple of postcards).

So, it should be pretty obvious that I found touristy Bruges to be a bit disappointing. Ghent, on the other hand, far exceeded my expectations. As an added bonus, Ghent was having some kind of music festival and I enjoyed several performances (jazz, tango, and a marching band). I found the medieval centre of Ghent to be more impressive than the one in Bruges -- but it may just be that I was able to enjoy these areas without hoards of tourists.

I enjoyed everything about Ghent -- the sites, the sounds, the atmosphere. The highlight of my time in Ghent was my visit to Gravensteen Castle -- the 12th Century Castle of the Counts. The vistas overlooking the town were really impressive, and the grisly torture and weapons museums were... well, grisly! Mom - you would have loved to see all that armour!

I was back in Brussels around 6pm and wandered around until I *finally* found an Internet café. The shops are closed tomorrow, so I am planning to take in some of the cities many museums. I am currently planning to head to Paris mid-day on Monday.

That's all for now. I'm hoping the Internet cafes will be a bit easier to locate for the remainder of my trip. Now off to find some of that delicious bier...