October 20: Gent, Belgium

The semester here is split up into two terms so rather than midterms, we had finals in mid-October. In the week leading up to finals week, I had a major presentation so I spent the weekend in recovery. I didn’t have a final exam until Friday, though, so on Monday morning I departed for my first solo backpacking trip. I had acquired a train ticket to Bruges, Belgium from a friend and it expired on Friday, so I might as well use it.

I arrived in Gent, Belgium on Monday afternoon and hit up a few tourist destinations. I started off in the Belfort en Lakenhalle (Belfry and Cloth Hall), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I climbed 215 feet up the 298 foot Belfry and got a great view of the city. I was at the top with the gargoyles when the bells chimed the hour, and I watched as the automated gears began to turn to ring the bells.

Just next door to the Belfry is Sint-Baafskathedraal (St. Bavo’s Cathedral). The exterior is a mix of Romanesque, Gothic, and baroque and the interior is filled with paintings, sculptures, screens, memorials, and tombs. The main “attraction” is Jan van Eyck’s 24-panel altarpiece The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb. I stood staring at the detailed piece as at least two tour groups walked through.

My final stop was the Gravensteen (Castle of the Counts). I didn’t arrive in time to go into the castle, but I wandered around the outside looking at the architecture and the fortifications. I also wandered along a pretty stretch of canal before heading back to the train station – I had a hostel booked in Bruges and wanted to find it before dark.

I just barely caught the train to Bruges (saving myself a 30 – 60 minute wait for the next train) but it was so crowded that after walking through 3 train cars, I did like the other students and sat on the floor in the entry/exit part of the car and listened to my Dutch language podcast.

After a bus ride and a great deal more walking than necessary, I was able to find the hostel just as the sun went down. I checked into my room, left my bag in a locker, and followed the directions of the receptionist/bartender to the nearest grocery store to buy dinner. Pizza and juice seemed like a good enough choice until I returned to the hostel’s kitchen to find that there was no oven and the microwave appeared to be broken. Luckily, the microwave only appeared to be broken so I stuck the pizza in and figured soggy pizza was better than frozen pizza.

As I waited in the kitchen I talked to the other backpackers and ended up eating dinner with a Canadian who just applied to medical school and decided to travel Europe while waiting for the decisions of the schools. We wandered around town that evening finding some nicer pubs and some pretty shady ones. I was amazed at how silent the town was at night. After the cobblestones began to wear on our feet, we headed back to the hostel for some rest before the next day’s adventures.