Went to Gent

A quick 30 minute train ride this morning and I arrived in Ghent, which is the historic heart of Flanders. But it's more a mishmash of 14th century meets 21st century in a car crash... Over 21,000 steps today which was a good effort considering that it was a public holiday and the place was packed. There was plenty to see, but I wasn't prepared to pay €16 to enter the St Bavo Cathedral to see the mystic lamb, then another €16 to go into the Castle of the Counts, then another €8 to visit the Belfort tower, then €10 for a boat ride etc etc. So I just followed the map provided by the friendly receptionist at the hotel and saw plenty of interesting sights. The quays in the centre of town were very pretty and I did manage to find a gigantic red cannon to add to my list of big things. Built in 1431 and weighing 12.5 ton its known as "the big red devil". There was also a neat statue nearby of Jacob Van Artevelde who looks like he is feeling if it is raining... But he is actually pointing to his enemy, the English. Another interesting find was the weird art gallery in St James Church. There was a chandelier made of plastic bags so I took a photo of it for Alice. Also saw a statue with a giant key and two really huge candle holders!!. Ghent was worth a visit but I am glad its only for one day!! You can tell from the number of bikes it is a University town!