A Saturday Spent in Ghent

So, early this morning, headed out to the train station in Brussels with 10 other students from my study abroad program (including my 3 roomies) to catch a train to Ghent, just a little to the northwest of Brussels. I wasn't really sure what to expect of it, but it far exceeded any expectations I had!

Forewarning: building pictures. Lots and lots of building pictures.


Okay, so in my online readings, I learned that there is a lot of surviving medieval architecture. This was something important (I forgot what the tour guide said), but it's now the tourist office.


Belfry.
12th Century Rich Person's house.
Graffiti Street!
Again
I don't exactly know what it's pointing to.
Tour guide in the red.
Cobblestone streets everywhere in Belgium, just to throw that out there. Heels are a bad idea.
River! And houses along the river.
Random sign.
The more modest cousin of Manneken Pis. I'll introduce the "free spirit boy" of Brussels soon, I promise. This one, though, is wearing a lovely white cloth with a rope around his neck. Very autumnal choice. He is begging for the pardon of Charles II for the people of Ghent refusing to pay taxes.
I honestly forgot which building this is.
Norbert on board our boat tour through the city.
My roomies! Rachel on the left is laying down, Kim's in the middle, and Mallory is on the right.
We visited several things celebrating modern design, including a place that revolved wholly around modern furniture and home decoration.
I'm usually not a fan of "modern" furnishings, but these two rooms were pretty neat.
Well...I did warn you, didn't I? Buildings.
Norbert at the Ghent train station ready to say goodbye.




Another great Saturday in Belgium! Next Saturday, my study abroad program is taking us all down to Dinant - in the French speaking part of the country (whereas in Ghent the key language is Flemish). Pretty stoked - once again, I don't know what to expect, but here we go!