Lonely Planet India - August 2016

being taken off for execution in a public

square. Ghent had many of these squares

and each had a unique way of sending

the condemned on his way – decapitation

being boiled alive hanging... Today

the castle is the Museum of Medieval

Weapons and a torture museum.

Then stroll on to the Friday Market Square

which was an important selling space in the

Middle Ages. Importantly it was also a place

where heads were chopped off. Very popular

it was too; people paid for spots on balconies

over the square for a view of the proceedings.

Keep walking on to St James’s Church

(known locally as St Jacob’s) the only one

in Ghent with Romanesque architectural

elements. In the late 1990s a hot-air balloon

carrying a young couple crashed into the

tower. The man had been meaning to propose

but when the fire department came to rescue

him he lost his head and scuttled to safety

first. Miffed the girl married the balloonist

and went on to have three children with him.

Next up: the Tow n Ha l l on Botermarkt

with its bizarre combination of Gothic

and Renaissance architecture. In 1539 the

Ghentians ever rebellious revolted against

Charles V over the high taxes used to fight

wars abroad. Punished and fined by Charles

they had no money to continue building

the town hall in the Gothic style. It took

80 years to amass funds again Gothic was

out of style by then so they continued to build

in the Renaissance style. Next to the town

hall is the belfry a watchtower from the

14th century. The watchtower guys used to

be called “can shitters” for obvious reasons.

Today undoubtedly with better sanitation

the belfry houses the city information centre.

Next to it a modern building that looks quite

out of place is the Stadshal a meeting square

that the locals sarcastically call “Schaapstal”

instead meaning sheep stable.

Then onto Cathedral Square with its

fountain a theatre and of course St Bavo’s

Cathedral known for The Adoration of the

Mystic Lamb by Hubert and Jan van Eyck.

Created in the 15th century and considered

one of the most important Northern

Renaissance works the 12 panels of this

polyptych altarpiece have been stolen and

returned and one – The Just Judges – is still

missing with a copy standing in its place.

Grab a quick bite before spending the early

afternoon with the easy-on-the-eyes Julien

Vrydagh at the Gruut Brewery on a tour and

three-taster sampling of the microbrewery’s

no-hops beers. Even if you’re not a beer lover

Julien uses words like “indeed!” in regular

conversation calls Heineken “cat’s piss”

and shows you party tricks with coasters

which believe us makes the tour very

worthwhile. If you are a beer lover you will

be in ale-y heaven anyway.

In the early evening let yourself be poled

down the canal by another charismatic

Flemish man. Kenneth will warn you not

to leap into the canal; the water just six

to eight feet deep is strewn with stolen and

abandoned bicycles. He may point out among

a great many other things the two swans

on the Marriott Hotel façade – swans were

symbolic of love in the 17th century but

these swimming away from each other

speak of lust; part of the hotel used to be

a brothel. A boat ride on the canal is a great

way to revisit what you earlier explored

and marvel again at how compact Ghent is.

GHENT ESSENTIALS

STAY

Ghent Marriott Hotel: 00-32-9-233-9393;

http://www.marriott.com; Korenlei 10; from ` 10850

EAT/ DRINK

• Naturell All Senses Cuisine: 00-32-9-279-0708;
  http://www.naturell-gent.be (Flemish); JanBreydelstraat
  10; from 7pm Tues – Sat 12pm – 3pm Wed – Sat;
  set lunch from ` 2200

SEE/ DO

• Castle of the Counts of Flanders: 00-32-9-225-
  9306; http://www. gravensteen.stad.gent/en; Sint-
  Veerleplein 11; 10am – 6pm; 765 adult 460 youth


• Town Hall: Visit as part of the Ghent History Tour;
  http://www.ghentguides.itours.be; 2pm daily; ` 765


• Belfry: Sint-Baafsplein; 10am – 6pm; 610 adult 405 child


• St Bavo’s Cathedral: 00-32-9-269-2045;
  http://www.sintbaafskathedraal.be/en; Sint-Baafsplein;
  8.30am – 6pm; ` 305 (includes audio guide)


• Gruut Brewery: 00-32-9-269-0269; http://www.gruut.
  be; Rembert Dodoensdreef; from 11am Mon – Sat
  from 2pm Sun; tours from 690 beers from 190


• De Bootjes van Ghent boat trips: 00-32-9-229-
  1716; http://www.debootjesvangent.be; every 20 minutes
  from the jetty at the green hut Korenlei 4A;
  from 535 adult 305 child (three – 12 years)


• St James’s Church: Bij Sint-Jacobs; 9.30am –
  12.30pm Fri – Sat

BUY

The Chocolate Line: 00-32-5-034-1090; http://www.

thechocolateline.be/en; Simon Stevinplein 19;

chocolate shooter: ` 3435 chocolates from ` 1070

GOOD TO KNOW

• The Gent City Card offers access to attractions
  monuments and museums as well as use of public
  transport (buy from the Ghent tourism office
  [Sint-Veerleplein 5] participating museums and
  your hotel; 2300/ 48 hours 2675/ 72 hours).
  PHOTOGRAPHS: © ARTERRA PICTURE LIBRARY/ ALAMY STOCK PHOTO FACING PAGE: © AGE FOTOSTOCK/ ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (1) © KUMAR SRISKANDAN/ ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (2) GETTY IMAGES (3 5 6) © ERIC JAMES / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (4) • More information: http://www.visitgent.be/en

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