Day 8: Ghent

 Taking a day trip to Ghent was going to be a last minute decision based on how much more we wanted to see of Brussels, but after several people asked if we were going to make it to Ghent, we decided to go ahead and plan for a day there.  Figuring out the subway system in London was just like the systems in America.  The trains were a little different. For this ride they actually checked our tickets after we were on our way. 

Belfry of Ghent

Yep, water again. 

These little trinket music boxes that played many familiar movie tunes.

Saint Bavo's Cathedral

This was a fascinating visit.  The tour is a virtual reality tour and they tell you the history of the cathedral as well as the history of the Ghent Altarpiece. This piece of art is the most stolen piece of art in the world.  One panel is still missing to this day.

A view of the virtual reality  image.

This is a massive art piece that folds in with 8 more paintings on the back. This has been restored back to the original paint from 1432. Over 70% of the work had been painted over, but through restoration, it is back to its original condition. It was truly magnificent.

I'm a bit ashamed to say that we ate at McDonald's for lunch. There really wasn't too much in the area, and we were pressed for time. 

There is so much architectural beauty in Ghent.

Our final stop in Ghent was Gravensteen. It was built in 1180 as a residence, but it has also been used as a court, prison, mint, and cotton factory. 

This audio tour was a comedy tour. Sometimes cheesy, sometimes funny, and mostly interesting. 

Views from the top

We couldn't leave without another waffle - strawberries and nutella, of course. 

We learned that there are two different kinds of Belgian waffles: Brussels and Liege. Brussels waffles are less sweet and have toppings. Liege waffle have sugar pearls inside and are meant to eat as street food while walking. They generally don't have toppings. 

It was time to head back to Brussels to catch the Eurostar back to London.  Tonight we're staying close to the airport for an early morning departure flight. 

Before heading out of Belgium we had to grab some Belgian fries. The most common condiment is mayonnaise, so we tried it.  We weren't super impressed with the fries or the fries with mayonnaise, but we're glad we tried them. 

It was such a great adventure in Belguim, and I'm so glad we added this stop onto our trip. 

Day 7: Brussels

 An early morning ride to the train station was first on the plan.  We were taking the Eurostar to Brussels, Belguim! It was pretty cool to ride under the English Channel. Before our train left we found a chocolate Big Ben as well as some breakfast. 

The train emerges from the channel in France, so we had some views of the French countryside before arriving in Brussels. 

She's like a heat sinking missile when it comes to water. 

After dropping our bags at the hotel we headed to a Belgium waffle making class for a late lunch.

So many options for toppings, and we had fun trying some new things. 

Brooke was so excited for this experience.  She's a big fan of waffles. 

Starting with the usual, but she tried some new things after this one. 

Kayla was able to find some yummy options that didn't involve fruit.

Brooke loves nutella, strawberries, and whipped cream on her waffles and nothing was going to get her to try something different. 

So good.

Kiwi, Strawberry, and Banana sauce

Like I said... heat sinking missile.

The Black Tower - one of the earliest fortifications for the city built in the 13th century.

St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral

There was a small choir practicing in the cathedral. The acoustics were amazing, and it's even more amazing when you think about when the cathedral was constructed.

Cathedrals are so beautiful and ornate.

We headed to the Royal Palace of Brussels next.  The girls enjoyed the exercise equipment in the park. 

Brussels was not kept as clean as London.  The fountains were dirty, and the landscaping wasn't well kept up. I wasn't super impressed with the city at this point. 

The palace had a "facade" on part of it, which we assume was due to construction.

Mont des Artes Park

Our last stop of the day was the Grand-Place. This is central square of the city.  We really enjoyed walking around this area of town.  We ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. We figured their menu was safe.  We were translating menus from many restaurants around, but we just make a safe call tonight.

I'm not sure what this statue was, but as a tour group was walking by everyone was touching it. Maybe it's some sort of good luck charm.

Manneken Pis - Legend has it that the boy saved the city from destruction by peeing on the lit fuse that was connected to explosives set by enemies.

So many waffles.

We all really enjoyed the hotel. It was clean and spacious.  The beds were very comfortable and each girl had their own "pod" to sleep in. 

It was a different experience for the girls being in a country that didn't speak English as their primary language.  They were translating many signs, and Macy was making connections between the Spanish she knows and some of the French signage. It was a fun day exploring.