Day 27 Ghent

A very relaxed day exploring Ghent. We got up late for a delicious breakfast at this lovely hotel. We then headed off to the historic centre of town where we boarded an open top boat for a 50 minute tour of the river and canals. There were several boats out and the tour took us down some beautiful parts of the city and under several bridges. The day was actually very grey and at times there was light drizzle until 1pm when the sun came out. While we have managed the heat of the last three weeks this was a welcome relief and we loved the 20-24 degree day. Ghent is also a lot quieter and less touristy than other places we have visited and very easy to get around. We stopped for a delicious wine and cheese board lunch before carrying on our sight seeing which included the most interesting and beautiful church yet. Saint Bavo's Cathedral, also known as Sint-Baafs Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral. The 89-metre-tall Gothic building is the seat of the Diocese of Ghent and is named for Saint Bavo of Ghent. It contains the well-known Ghent Altarpiece, also called the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb painted by Hubert van Eyck, We had paid for a digital augmented reality tour which really was amazing as it explained the masterpiece in detail using holograms. The artwork was truly spectacular when we finally saw it for real as was its history which had involved it being removed from the cathedral several times and it neatly being destroyed on occasions. We left the church and after a short break started our own beer tour. This wasn’t as easy as it seemed as we had wanted to have food at each stop but to our surprise found that most beer bars or houses only sell potato chips - if that. There were lots of people out having a drink but very few eating. As well three Belgium beers in three different bars wax enough and by 7 30 we really were looking for something more substantial to eat. We settled on a little restaurant where we ordered a delicious Belgium pork dish to share. We then walked back to our hotel for a relaxing last drink in the bar there. It really is a cool hotel with a great vibe downstairs and very friendly staff. We are loving Ghent and its similarity to Brugge is one of the reasons we are here as both are truly beautiful places to visit.Read more