Ghent

STRIKE!

Yes, we did it again. This time it was a double, a train strike along with a trash pickup strike. The trains, not the trash, helped make up our minds to spend the day wandering and touring right here in Ghent.

Patti and I decided to let the kids sleep in and we got out for some early touring just after dawn. The sun did not break through the clouds until later today but we still found some interesting things to look at and snap the occasional picture. This is the most contemporary design that we saw in the old city center. 

Waking up early like we do at home has not been a problem, but I have gotten good at laying around for a while before actually getting out of bed. For whatever reason I have been sweating profusely at night in this hotel. Everyone else is cold, but I wake up at about two in the morning drenched, actually dripping with sweat. I must be going through the DTs from my lack of mountain biking.

When the kids woke up we took a walking tour and interspersed were the kids poking their heads into the various shops along the way. We went through another pretty spectacular church building. The churches and the city halls seem to always take the prize for grandest buildings.

Each of those structures is adorned with statues and imagery of the people they want to present as important and each of the buildings took considerable finances to construct. The city rulers exacted that money in taxes and the chuch in tithes. 

We climbed the bell tower and were up there for a few of its ring cycles. The bell tower served an important function in its day as your wristwatch or the clock on your smartphone does today. The bells ring every 15 minutes and were were able to see this drum, like a large musicbox, control the ringing of the bells to create a melody. The song is changed every two years just before Easter. To give you an idea of scale, this cylinder stands as tall as I do. 

We took a stroll down 'Tag Way'. This narrow alley has been given to those who are given to express themselves with graffiti. The idea is to keep them off of all the other structures in this part of town. It seems to be working for the most part.

Tara and Riley were teasing out the details of a compromise that would enable them to buy separate treats yet share them in an equitable way. These treaties seemed to work for the most part throughout the trip. 

We hit the market and ate alongside the canal this evening then called it a night. 

Images in 2015 Ghent.