Returning to Ghent; Passing Through Breda

Visiting Ghent twice, twenty days apart, was anything but repetitive. A quick review of the first post about Ghent to avoid subjecting readers to too many duplicate photos didn’t even result in removing any images from this series. There’s obviously going to be some overlap when returning to the same place, but a bit of planning and a heap of contrasts between visits made each worthwhile.

A daytime walking tour was a significant change from the “Dark Side” tour earlier in the month. It stuck closer to the city center and offered more general history, including something that explained a feeling communicated in the last post. As a reminder, there was commentary about lacking a focal point like Paris’ Eiffel Tower. That landmark was constructed for a world’s fair, and when it was Ghent’s turn to host one of these events, they decided to restore a whole section of the city, sprucing up riverside facades and various landmarks. With that in mind, it makes complete sense to feel so generally positive about the wealth of preserved architecture without having one standout memory.

Knowing the layout and where all of the viewpoints are was a boon for the second visit. Hopefully it shows with this second set of photos!

The statue depicts Jacob van Artevelde, a 14th-century politician who became wealthy in the textile industry. He formed alliances with other Flemish cities as well as with England in opposition to the French. His statue points toward London in reflection of the commercial and political future that he helped to form with the British.

The small, red sign at ground level, to the right of St. Bavo’s Cathedral, marks the Ibis hotel that provided shelter for the night. The location was (obviously) excellent and provided more contrast to the previous stay in an AirBnB fifteen minutes away.

Gravensteen (Castle of Counts)

A tour of Gravensteen was another unique addition on this visit. The interior doesn’t offer the same transported-in-time feeling as many other castles, but the reason for that is actually an interesting piece of history. It’s advertised to tourists that the current castle dates back to 1180, but determining whether the castle is eight or one century old presents a real-world case of Theseus’ Paradox.

A major restoration was completed in 1903, though “reimagined reconstruction” is apparently a more accurate description. Just prior to the city purchasing the property, it was being used as a cotton mill. Housing for the workers had even been built against the castle walls and had to be demolished. It stands to reason that historical preservation was not the primary focus of factory owners, nor was it a concern during previous stints as a prison and a mint.

Despite some signs of being a facsimile of an old castle, and being filled with externally-sourced pieces, Gravensteen is a must-visit location in Ghent. It’s just an experience that should be met with metered expectations. The views from the walls and the roof are some of the best features. At the other extreme, the audio guide, read by a Flemish comedian, managed to fail terribly in mixing humor with history. The rest can be summed up as “good, not great.”

Another dessert stop on the way out of town never hurts. Were it not for a candle appearing in this cake, a 38th birthday could have easily been forgotten in the fog of a long vacation.

Breda, Netherlands

The next destination was de Efteling, a theme park in the Netherlands, located several hours from Ghent. To avoid departing before sunrise to get to the park when it opened, it was necessary to cut the trip in half. Breda is a small city that wouldn’t have been on the agenda were it not a convenient place to stop along the way. Going out for a late dinner revealed a surprisingly active nightlife. Even the morning departure offered a couple of unexpected encounters. It would be tough to recommend going to Breda for its own sake, but it was much better than expected as an overnight destination.

A 1st-class booking didn’t help. The first train was cut from nine to six cars and this second train was equally as crowded.

This piece of street art used color-changing lights at seemingly random intervals.

Second birthday dessert? Yes, please! The red centerpiece was a white-chocolate cow’s head.

While walking back to the station in the morning, there was a mysterious chicken at the edge of the park.

The whole walk through the park was overwhelmed by roosters crowing and chickens wandering all over the place. A quick Google search didn’t yield any explanation.

When approaching the train station, crowing gave way to bagpipes. It was lucky timing for the approach!