The Gorgeous Ghent

Brussels to Ghent

It was the evening of 8th February. We were at the Brussels Central Station. We checked the timetable for the trains to Ghent and then went to the counter in order to buy our tickets. We discovered the advantages of being under 25 there. In Belgium, it doesn’t matter whether you are a student or not, the discounts on transport are generally offered on the basis of age.

So the discounted ticket from Brussels to Ghent cost around 6 Euros. We took our tickets and were just checking them randomly when we realized that they have been issued for Genk and not Ghent. We went to the counter again and the guy there revealed that it is a common mistake. These cities are often misheard, he printed new tickets for us and well the cost was same. He told that this price which was 6.40 Euros to be more precise is the maximum that can be charged from people under 25, no matter where they go.

The train took less than an hour and we found ourselves at Gent-Sint-Pieters which is the main Train Station of Ghent. It was already dark. The interesting part was that we didn’t have a place to say, or I better say a pre-booked place. But we found some good options, but instead of booking a place online, we decided to go in person and get our places.

Accomodation

The hostel which we found the most suitable was called Hostel Upplelink and was situated right in the historical centre of the city. From the station, we went there by walk and it took us around 40 minutes.

We saw numerous beautiful spots, where the reflection of the lighted buildings in the canals was creating a magical atmosphere. 

Coming back to the hostel, we paid 16 or 17 Euros per night. And considering the perfect location, I would highly recommend it. They also had a very nice common area where we had some interesting conversation with a guy from Argentina and another who was from Scotland but studying in Netherlands. They were also travelling like us.

We preferred to go to our beds early because we knew a great day was waiting for us.

Explore!

Our earlier plan was to explore Ghent with a tour, but somehow we couldn’t manage to join any tour. We had the city map anyway, so after having a nice simple breakfast, we planned our own tour.

St. Bavo's Cathedral

We started from the magnificent St. Bavo’s Cathedral. The 16th century cathedral is one of the masterpieces of Gothic Architecture. 

There is a lot to see in this Cathedral. What I found the most was the 12 meters long skeleton of a whale which was suspended from the Ceiling. This whale had died in the sea and was transported to Ghent from Brazil. The whale has been hung closer to the place where the story of Prophet Yunus and the Whale was being narrated. The story can be found in both Quran- the Holy Book for Muslims as well as in Bible. 

Also in the Middle ages, a whale washing up onto the shores was considered a bad omen. Therefore, probably the reason of placing Leo (the fish had been named Leo) in the Cathedral was its connection with religion and beliefs.

The basement of the Cathedral displays a rich collection of ancient artefacts specially of religious background.

Belfry of Ghent

Just a few steps from the Cathedral, lies the tallest Belfry of Belgium-the Belfry of Ghent. It also dates back to the medieval times when it was not only used as a means for announcing warnings or time, but also served as a watch tower. We climbed till the top. No! We didn’t climb, we took an elevator, and we knew we had a lot of other places to see, so we decided not to kill ourselves by climbing those never ending stairs. But the view from the top worth climbing the stairs in case you have to. The weather was not the best when we were there, but still it was amazing, must be even splendid on a clear day.

St. Nicholas Church

Again a few steps away is the St. Nicholas Church, which like the above two sites is one of the landmarks of the city. These three sites together mark the skyline of the city.

We also paid a small visit to St. Jacob’s Church, it however was closed.

Gravensteen

Our next destination was the 12th Century Castle known as Gravensteen. 

The castle is not in the best form but you will end up spending an hour or more there and you will not even realize it.

You can enter through different doors, climb up and down. The castle once served as prison and a part of it displays the torture devices which were actually used in the history. After seeing some of the devices, I was in a state of shock. I felt sad and sorry for humanity. Because I used to think that all the unpleasant and coarse happenings of the world were products of recent times. But no! Many humans have had lost their minds ages before.

The End!

We then went to have our supper which consisted of Belgian Fries- a lot of them, then picked our bags from the hostel and took the path leading to the main Station. I personally prefer not to believe things until I witness them myself. Therefore, in order to decide a winner between Ghent and its rival “Bruges”, we had a plan to visit Bruges.

By the way, don't miss Ghent on your tour to Belgium! 

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