Destination: Ghent
After quite a hectic Day 9 in Brussels I was ready to shift down a gear today for Day 10. It was the penultimate day of my trip and I had a long travel tomorrow.
My plan was to spend the day exploring the historic city of Ghent, and maybe try a few more of those amazing Belgian beers while I didn’t have to drive!
Korenmarkt
As with the previous day, I’d be getting the bus into Ghent, but this time I was getting the number 11 as I was heading for the centre. My first stop was the Korenmarkt, the main square of the old town and a hub for shops, restaurants and bars. From there I was planning to do a more or less circular route, and hopefully seeing a lot of the sights before getting the bus back.
As well as the multitude of shops and restaurants, the area around Korenmarkt has some fabulous architecture and is home to several markets. There were 2 happening on the day of my visit. The first was a flea market at St James Church (Sint-Jacobskerk) a short walk away.
It was quite nice just pottering around. As we were away from the main tourist route, I imagined most of the people browsing the treasures might be local to Ghent. There were all sorts of interesting bits and bobs on display, and the setting amidst the gently swaying trees was perfect. The bright sunshine found it’s way between the leaves, lighting everything up with a warm dappled glow. I could have spent hours just mooching, and possibly have filled my arms with many gorgeous finds. But I still had a lot to do and it would require a significant amount of walking!
Vrijdagmarkt
My second market of the day was at the nearby Vrijdagmarkt (Friday market). Not only does the square hold a great general market (Fridays and Saturdays), it has quite a history.
Having had a wander around the outside of the square to check out the architecture, I headed for the market in the middle. A few souvenirs later, it was time for a quick look at the imposing statue of Jacob van Artevelde and then onto my next location.
Kraanlei
Heading up past Grootkanonplein, I crossed the river Leie and made for Kraanlei. This area is famed for it’s architecture, with lots of baroque style buildings. It’s name harks back to the time when the buildings had wooden cranes to hoist furniture and goods. I had particularly wanted to visit this area as having seen a similar statue in Brussels I wanted to see the Ghent ‘Mannequin Pis’. The Ghent version is part of a trio named Lena, Nestor and Luna and although not as famous is older than the Brussels version.
I had a lovely stroll along the Kraanlei and then through Patershol. This is an area renowned for its festivals and markets, though there were none on that day.
It was a warm afternoon and I’d been walking for quite a while now so was glad when I reached Sint Veerleplein, where I was going to stop for a well earned beer!
Sint-Veerleplein
Advertised on the tourist website as a ‘lovely place to be’ I couldn’t agree more. The square is filled with restaurants and is also home to the tourism office, so a good place to find information. It is also right opposite one of the key attractions of Ghent, the ‘Castle of the Counts’, Gravensteen.
While I was sitting and chilling in the sunshine, I heard some familiar sounding voices. At the table next to me a group from a Welsh choir were having lunch, and they told me they’d performed in the town the previous evening. Ghent is a really musical place, and well known for it’s choirs. It hosts an International Singing Week in July and has even hosted a ‘World Choir Games’.
After a light lunch it was time to head back across the river and close the loop by making for Korenmarkt once more.
Korenmarkt
Having prioritised visiting the markets earlier in the day, now it was time to visit some of the major sights of the old town.
Korenmarkt is a lovely place to sit and watch the world go by. I sat for ages, lost in thought, I’d absolutely loved my day in Ghent. It’s such a vibrant place, but at the same time feels really chilled. I could definitely see myself spending a whole lot more time here. But for now, it was time to make my way back to the campsite. I had a really exciting final day lined up and I didn’t want to be too tired to enjoy it!
Overnight: Urban Camping Gent
I’m often struck by what a small world it is and this was brought home to me by an experience at the campsite. I happened to speak to one of my UK neighbours about the electrical hook-up and they commented on my TentBox, as their son was thinking of getting one. So I invited them to take a closer look and gave them my details as they live not too far from me in the UK. Then I asked them their name, which it turns out is quite unusual … and by an odd chance I know someone with the same name. Would you believe that they happen to be closely related to a really good friend of mine?! What are the chances?
Mind blown, I headed to the bar for a beer as it was my last night and it felt only right. I was in luck as it was another ‘pizza night’ at Urban camping, which meant dinner was sorted. So at the end of the day, all that was left to do was make the most of my last evening, and prepare for being ‘In Bruges‘ tomorrow!
