October 19th-21st
Chris and I decided to spend the weekend in Belgium The trip was planned so that I could see the Ghent Altar Piece -- one of the most famous masterpieces in the world. We left on Friday at around noon and arrived in Bruges six grueling hours later. After checking into our hotel, we walked around Bruges and then eventually had dinner at de Visscherie overlooking the Fish Market in Bruges. The atmosphere was nice; the food just o.k. We did, however, have a lovely walk around the city after dinner.
The next morning we explored all of the chocolate shops and found an amazing cookie shop -- Juliettes. I purchased a cookbook and plan on trying to replicate their delicious treats. Around noon we checked out of hotel and headed to Ghent.
Thankfully, Ghent is only a half an hour from Bruges. After checking in, we went in search of food. I settled on amazing french fries (pommes frites) from a stand and Chris decided on a waffle. We then set off looking for St. Bavo's Cathedral where the Ghent Altar Piece is housed. We arrived at the Cathedral finding barracades all around it. Apparently, it was closed for the former Prime Minister's funeral. We asked a guard who told us it would reopen at 3 pm. So, at 3:10, we saw Jan Van Eyck's great work. It is truly amazing and was well worth the trip. That night we decided on mussels, french fries and beer for dinner. On the recommendation of the Bell Man at the Marriot, we went to Brasserie de Graslei. It was amazing.
On Sunday morning, we got up early to get a bite to eat. We found a waffle place and got on line. In front of the waffle place, two men were selling these "famous" Ghent sweets. I went to one stand and purchased a few. The man from the other stand came over and gave me one of his candies. He explained that the other man was preying on tourists and that only his candies were the "real" thing. I bought some of his as well and we did a taste test. Honestly, we didn't like either candy, but the second man's candy was better. After that, we drove home to Oberursel.
Here are some pictures. First set are of Bruges.
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| Inside our hotel |
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| View from our hotel room |
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| View from our hotel room |
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| Inside our hotel |
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| our hotel |
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| Chocolate Skeleton Family -- C liked the dog |
Here's Ghent
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| Inside the Marriot in Ghent |
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| St. Bavo's Cathedral |
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| The Infamous Ghent Candy -- the real one! |
