This post is a continuation of a series documenting our long awaited family trip to Belgium and the Netherlands in the European Spring of 2023. We were based in Bruges for the first part of our trip and on our second day there we had done the beautiful walk to the St Janshuis Windmill on the outskirts of the Old town in Bruges ( A morning walk to the St Janshuis Windmill – Belgium & Netherlands, Part 3 ). I had planned a half day trip to the nearby city of Ghent for the second half of our day.
We decided to have lunch at a restaurant right in front of our hotel at the Huidenvettersplein square before leaving for Bruges. We decided on the Brasserie Mozarthuys as it had a significant vegetarian section that was a requirement for the parents. It was peak lunch time and we got a table outside. We ordered spaghetti, lasagna and of course a big portion of fries for the vegetarians while I enjoyed my Flemish stew. We couldn’t resist the temptation of ordering Belgian beers and hot chocolates. The meal was great and the location couldn’t be beat, we would eat here again before our time in Bruges was done.
Enjoying a delicious meal at the Brasserie Mozarthuys
The Belgian Beer to go along with the food
With our tummies satiated we walked to the Driver bus stop nearby and used our 3 day passes to take the bus to the station. ( The De Lijn day passes are valid for all buses, trams and metros in Ghent, Antwerp and Bruges but not on the intercity trains – Still a great convenience if you plan to visit all 3 cities). I had already booked the train tickets the previous evening and checked the schedule. We reached well in time and soon we were on the next train to Ghent St Pieters which is the train station in Ghent. A quick 25 minute train ride followed by a 5 minute tram ride (using the same De Lijn pass as in Bruges) from outside the station and we were in the Old town of Ghent.
As in most European Old Towns the one in Ghent had the Cathedral as it’s centre piece. This was the St Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent. ( We would see another Cathedral of the same name later on in Haarlem!) The Cathedral is well known for its Altarpiece painting which has recently been fully restored. However that needs a separate reservation and since we didn’t know when we would be visiting Ghent (and none of the others had any interest in it) we didn’t buy tickets for it. The Cathedral itself is also a majestic structure in itself with huge stained glass windows in various styles, multiple church organs, a beautifully carved pulpit and the pleasing symmetry that is the hallmark of these structures. I always enjoy taking photos in these cathedrals even though I am not the least bit religious.
The exterior of the St Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent
The massive nave with the typical arched ceilings and pillars – a photographer’s delight
Huge Stained glass windows lined with tapestries of the various houses of the region
Three stained glass windows all with different art styles
The present day altar and organ at the Cathedral – The famous altar piece is displayed in a separate room nowadays
The beautifully carved pulpit at the St Bavo’s Cathedral Ghent
Huge tapestries and the organ at the Cathedral in Ghent
We then did our usual Church routine of sitting in the pews for a few minutes and walked out again into the square named after the St Bavo again! At the other end of this square is the Belfry of Ghent. This Belfry though another UNESCO world heritage sight is not even close to being as imposing as the one at Bruges. We were short of time and skipped climbing / taking the elevator up this belfry and just took photos from the square.
The Belfry at Ghent on St Bavo’s Square
Sunny but windy evening at St Bavo’s Square , Ghent
The performing arts theatre on the St Bavo’s square, the city pavillion & the St Nicholas church were the other beautiful buildings on this route towards the waterfront. The Church was closed for restoration so we took a few photos before moving towards the waterfront.
The performing arts theatre in Ghent at St Bavo’s square
The Bell tower and the Cathedral tower at Ghent
The parents pose at the City Pavillion with the Belfry in the background
The City pavillion and the Belfry on a beautiful evening in Ghent
The St Nicholas Church in Ghent – closed during our visit
We then reached the most famous photo point in Ghent the St Michael’s Bridge. I wished I could have spent more time here in Ghent so that I could see this beautiful spot all lit up. For now I had to be satisfied with a photo showing how popular Ghent is – with good reason.
The most popular photo point in Ghent – the view from the St Michael’s Bridge
The bridge is over the Leie river which has the second most popular photo point in Ghent the Leie river waterfront.
On the St Michael’s Bridge Ghent with the Leie Waterfront below
The beautiful views of the waterfront from the St Michael’s Bridge
We first took photos from the bridge itself and in front of the St Michael’s Church that the bridge leads to and is named after before descending down the stairs and walking along the waterfront.
In front of the St Michael’s Church in Ghent
The huge St Michael’s Church in Ghent
The beauty of the waterfront with it’s cobble stoned paths and colourful gabled houses lining it with a spire or two poking out from in between is undeniable. The beautiful skies on that evening made it a perfect day for taking photos.
The Leie waterfront in Ghent with the St Michael’s bridge on the right
More photos of the Leie Waterfront in Ghent
We then moved towards the other famous structure in Bruges the Gravensteen castle, which is a restored medieval castle that housed the Count of Flanders until the 14th century. Since then it has been a court, a prison , a mint & even a cotton factory. It was even scheduled for demolition but better sense prevailed and it was restored in the early 20th century to the major landmark it is today.
Anna poses outside a cafe /bar called Giri ( My uncle’s name!) in Ghent
View from the Hoofdbrug towards the waterfront
The beautifully restored medieval castle of Gravensteen
We were too late for a castle tour which we wouldn’t have done anyway so we took photos with the beautiful building when I spotted something in the moat surrounding it – my favourite bird, the Crested Grebe
Happy us at having completed the walk through the Old town of Ghent
As soon as I spotted a bird the others knew what was going to happen. I would change lenses and put on the 300mm that I carried almost everywhere and take dozens of photos of the bird while they waited and got bored! Luckily for me it was a pretty spot overlooking a castle and a canal so they didn’t mind a lot.
The bird was initially enjoying a siesta but seemed to realise that it had some attention on it and gave me some great poses making my day. When I still waited around after it had given me some good photos it swam over to a place in the reeds where it had it’s nest and went and sat on it and looked straight at me, as if asking “Is it enough now??” I took the hint and moved on much to the relief of my waiting family.
I spot a Crested Grebe enjoying a siesta near the Gravensteen Castle
The Crested Grebe dries off it’s wings giving me some great photos
My favourite bird in Europe – The Great Crested Grebe
The Great Crested Grebe at it’s nest looking directly at me
Since I had the 300 mm on I decided to take a few photos of the statues at the Sint Veerleplein market square in front of the castle.
A statue of Neptune with his trident
A statue of the crowned lion of Ghent
The clock tower of the St Pieter railway station from the Castle square
A Papillon at the Sint Veerlesplein poses for the 300 mm
It had been a long walk from the cathedral to the castle and I wanted to give Amma’s legs some rest before we started the journey back to Bruges. So we decided to sit and have some coffee / hot chocolate at what looked like a decent cafe called “In Choc” in front of the Gravensteen castle. We ordered Caramel hot chocolates with whipped cream for the ladies and some Irish coffee for Anna and me. The coffees were delicious & as filling as a small meal, it turned out to be a great pit stop!
Enjoying our hot chocolates & Irish coffees at In Choc , Ghent
We then took the tram from the castle and rode it back to the station from where we took the next train back to Bruges. It had been a short but sweet day trip to Ghent. We had walked through the beautiful Old town and waterfront and visited the famous Cathedral, I had even gotten some photos of my favourite Great Crested Grebe as an unexpected bonus. It was a town where you do a day trip and you feel like you would have loved to stay overnight – maybe some day!
We still had a visit to some more sights in Bruges itself including a climb up the Belfry,visiting the various beautiful churches and the Town Hall and also a day trip to the city of Antwerp (where Anna had spent a few years before marriage learning the diamond trade) in the remaining days in Belgium. But that is topic for another post (s) some other time, some other day.
Till then,
Bye!
Happy us after our day trip to Ghent – another pretty city in Belgium
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