The Old and the Beautiful
After docking in Ghent, we proceeded to do absolutely nothing. Being a constant tourist can get tiring, and sometimes you just need a day of rest. When we got up the next day we walked toward the centre of the old town and were astounded to see how great it all was. Among other things, Ghent boasts multiple cathedrals, all in a row, and a tremendous number of old buildings. One of the main gathering spaces is the Graslei along the river Leie. On each side of the river the streets are lined with old buildings, many with outdoor cafes.
In one direction you can see the Castle of the Counts, also called Gravensteen, a story book type of castle built in the 1400s. This is now a museum that allows you to wander the rooms, some displaying artifacts of battle (full suits of armour and the like) and some showing off devices of torture (we skipped this room). You can also climb to the top and look down on the city below.
While we were in Ghent we also visited the Museum of Design. This establishment cleverly placed a series of playmobile characters around the museum and required the kids to find the characters hidden amongst the objet d'art. We also visited the Museum of Textiles, as Ghent's claim to fame is the production of fabric and its distribution around Europe. We also took the requisite canal boat tour and ate a box of Belgian chocolates.
After docking in Ghent, we proceeded to do absolutely nothing. Being a constant tourist can get tiring, and sometimes you just need a day of rest. When we got up the next day we walked toward the centre of the old town and were astounded to see how great it all was. Among other things, Ghent boasts multiple cathedrals, all in a row, and a tremendous number of old buildings. One of the main gathering spaces is the Graslei along the river Leie. On each side of the river the streets are lined with old buildings, many with outdoor cafes. 
In one direction you can see the Castle of the Counts, also called Gravensteen, a story book type of castle built in the 1400s. This is now a museum that allows you to wander the rooms, some displaying artifacts of battle (full suits of armour and the like) and some showing off devices of torture (we skipped this room). You can also climb to the top and look down on the city below.
While we were in Ghent we also visited the Museum of Design. This establishment cleverly placed a series of playmobile characters around the museum and required the kids to find the characters hidden amongst the objet d'art. We also visited the Museum of Textiles, as Ghent's claim to fame is the production of fabric and its distribution around Europe. We also took the requisite canal boat tour and ate a box of Belgian chocolates. 
Beautiful!
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