Ghent, 2015

We visited Ghent in 2013, primarily to see the Mystic Lamb, but were enchanted by the old town too, and I did three posts (http://roadeveron.blogspot.be/2013/06/ghent-sights.html, http://roadeveron.blogspot.be/2013/06/adoration-of-mystic-lamb.html, and http://roadeveron.blogspot.be/2013/06/more-ghent-art.html). I'll try to keep it to two this time. If you're looking for pix of van Eyck's masterpiece, that supreme artistic statement of Christianity in the Middle Ages, as some say, you'll find them on the 2013 posts. This time the special viewing room at St. Bavo's was packed, the staff seemed far more insistent on the rules, and I certainly did not want to get reprimanded or punished in front of what is one of my favorite paintings. On the whole, we tried to fill in some gaps in our previous visit, both in the town and in St. Bavo's, and, hopefully, there won't be too much duplication. And if there is, it's Ghent, and warrants another visit, and another....  

Welcome back to Ghent!

Another of Belgium's great bell towers

The Stadthuis...regime change in architecture

Entry to the TI, and a pretty nice canal-side
restaurant

One of many canals; large, scenic canals, not over-run with
tour-boats as in Brugge

Castle from canal

One of hundreds of old buildings

Street/canal scene

Ditto

Ditto again

And again

And again

All the walking and gawking brought on a snack attack, which
in Belgium can be dangerous

A fixer-upper, one of the first we've seen in
these urban areas

Our explorations took us into the Patershol, an old Medieval
area long associated with an hospital/orphanage; and now
home to some of Ghent's more, um, interesting restaurants (if
you can see them, note the awards...)

Part of the English menu at Vier Tafels; we
would certainly have eaten there but, a) I never
would have figured out what wine to pair with
kangaroo, ostrich, and zebra kabob, (not to
mention the crocodile), and b) they were closed

Next door, Amadeus, "The Place for Ribs," where Vicki would
have eaten

The 14th century orphanage (updated a bit), now a school

More beautiful old buildings (now restaurants)

Another canal view...the girls were going to do the canals in
these little 2-seaters...we saw them later...and they did

The Big Cannon, 1425, never fired a shot

Socialist Workers Union (left); we sat in its shadow and
enjoyed another decadent snack of vlaamse frites, two orders,
not shared

Yet another beautiful street

And Sweet P's, a retro shop for women and kids