Gent 05/02/205

 Today our adventure took us to Gent, another historic city that traces its history to the Middle Ages.  Many of the medieval structures from the 15th century are still there.  History comes alive when you see it first hand. This was a 15,000 step day.  Amanda stayed back today, so it was Linda, Harry, and me.  Amanda said she would read the blog and enjoy Gent vicariously.

It took us about 45 minutes to get to the central station in Gent, and we took the bus to the Old Town.  It was a short ride to the historic center.  It would have been a short ride had we gotten on the correct bus.  We saw a lot of Gent on this trip.  Our bus was taking us further away from the Old Town.  We went through many neighborhoods and ended up in the industrial area of Gent.  When the bus driver stopped, he told us it was the end of the line.  I showed him my telephone and pointed to where we wanted to go.  He was very nice and told us to stay on his bus, and we would eventually arrive in the Old Town.  He turned around, we drove back by the train station, and finally arrived at our destination.  This short ride took 1 1/2 hours.  We saw a lot of Gent that most tourists miss.

Gent is a well preserved Middle Age city.  It escaped serious bombing in WWII and most of the medieval buildings from the 15th century are still intact.  It is well known for its large public squares, marketplaces, and its medieval architecture  In the center of the city is the Gravensteen Castle.  The castle dates from the 11th century.  It was the principle residence for the Counts of Flanders until 1353.  Like many other structures, it was repurposed.  Over time it served as a prison, a mint, a court house, and even as a cotton factory.  It was restored in 1903 and now serves as a museum.  It is a major landmark in the city.  It is big.  You can't miss it.

After exploring the city, it was time for lunch.  We chose to eat in the square across from the castle at the  't Paradijs.  It is known for its Flemish cuisine, so that is what we had.  After lunch we took a canal boat tour with the De Bootjes boat company.  The canal tour offered  great views of the historic center.  Our guide said he was fluent in 7 languages.  Maybe, maybe not.

Afterwards we took the bus back to the train station and our ride back to Brugge.  This time we got on the right bus.  Took about 15 minutes.

Tomorrow we will leave Brugge for Ypres.  Until then.














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