Like the days before by 8am I was up and in the shower. I really wanted to get going and see how Ghent fared during the day since I loved it already by night. Also a hostel is exactly the right place to get up early and leave before everyone else awakes. This hostel even included breakfast and I had a coffee overlooking the canal below.
good morning in Ghent
I walked outside the hostel and was immediately enchanted again. Today was the first morning with clear blue sky and against this backdrop everything just looked amazing.
Uppelink Hostel @Ghent
empty streets on Sunday morning @Ghent
I had made a plan on how to spend my last hours since not much time was left. I really needed to make the most of it. First off was a visit of the castle Gravensteen, but since it only opened at 10am I decided on a breakfast stop at Maison Elza. The offered Eggs Benedict enticed me to stay since the last I had were so awful. Plus, Maison Elza was just around the castle, actually everything was just around. So it was as good a place to wait as any.
Maison Elza @Ghent
The breakfast was tasty and I spoiled myself with a glass of champagne. I was on holidays after all and it was my last day.
Breakfast with champagne @Ghent
Eggs Benedict from Maison Elza @Ghent
The castle after looked so impressive, so beautifully restored that one could see how the Counts have lived here before. I was especially fascinated by the man-high swords, I wonder how they could be yielded.
Gravensteen @Ghent
Gravensteen @Ghent
swords in Gravensteen @Ghent
hunting horn in Gravensteen @Ghent
sword in Gravensteen @Ghent
Inside there was not so much to see but the view from the top of the castle was amazing.
view on Ghent from Gravensteen
view on Ghent from Gravensteen
Pollybert in Gravensteen @Ghent
From there I went to the Belfry, also on the Unesco world heritage list as is the one in Bruges. But since I missed the latter one, I figured I had to climb this one at least. The view of course was superb over the city. Blue sky, clear view. I couldn’t ask for more.
up the Belfry @Ghent
view from Belfry on Saint Nicholas’ Church @Ghent
And after that one more church which was supposed to hold a van Eyck altar. It probably does but i didn’t see it. Even the church had its shop closed on holy days. And without a ticket no museum and no holy lamb altar at the St. Bravo Cathedral. Nonetheless the church was beautiful inside and it was well worth the visit.
After that I just walked around the center a bit more and eventually sat down for a glass of Shandy. The beer was red, colored with cherry juice. It tasted just fine with the ice, cool and refreshing.
cherry beer @Ghent
In the end all of a sudden I had to rush. I wasn’t sure how strict the security at Brussels airport was and I wasn’t able to get my ticket online the night before. So I just wanted to arrive with a little buffer. But of course I had cut it too close and missed the direct airport train by one minute. Still I made it back home without a hitch. Yours, Pollybert
the streets of Ghent
