Ghent to Arras

It was one of those odd restless nights for me even though there was no reason for it. Comfortable bed and a nice room, and no noisy neighbours and yet my old friend, insomnia haunted me all night. So it is a weary start to the day. It is nothing a fabulous breakfast cannot fix though and the B+B delivers in spades. We asked for an early breakfast as we have a train to catch, and when we go downstairs the table is lavishly set and there is a rich spread of freshly made muesli, fruit, nuts, yoghurt, breads and hot meals prepared on request. Suitably fortified, we take our leave of Ghent and make the short walk to the station.

We're able to decipher the train departure information more confidently now but it is still a nervous wait, while we question at least three railway employees, before we feel sure we're on the right train to Lille-Flandres. And finally, Belgium gets left behind as we cross the border into France. 

We have a one-hour layover at Lille-Flandres before our next train so we find a seat in the main hall to wait. It is a bit of a shock to the system arriving in France as there is a heavy armed presence. Having not seen as much as a uniformed policeman in Belgium, it is confronting to see so many police and army personnel patrolling the station while clutching some seriously intense-looking firearms.

Happily the regional train to Arras only takes half an hour and soon we arrive at what will be our last stop on this holiday. We don't quite know what to expect as the tour company in Sydney which has booked our upcoming Battlefields Tour made a last-minute change to our hotel booking in Arras. We only found out a week ago that we are now staying at the Mercure... Having not been very enamoured with the Novotel in Bruges a couple nights ago, we're not too sure what we'll find with the next rung down on the Accor ladder...

 

Our anxieties are unfounded however. The Mercure Centre Gare is a 5-minute walk from the station and has only just been refurbished in the last couple of months. Everything is fabulously new and modern ... our room has a black ceiling and walls (unusual?!) but there is funky mood lighting and it is all pristine and comfortable. And bless! Real tea cups and teaspoons!

Having been confined to train seats all morning, we have a rest and then venture out into the town. Arras has much the same feel as many other cities in France that we have visited - narrow pavements, lots of concrete and not much greenery. But then the vista opens out into the Place des Heros (Heroes Square). Like Bruges and Ghent, it is all cobblestones with  Baroque-style townhouses standing sentry on all sides. At one end is the Arras Belfry - so characteristic of this part of the world. We go inside hoping to take the elevator to the top but we are told the Belfry is closed to visitors as the lift is out of order... 

Our third belfry... this time in Arras

Not deterred, we grab a map instead and go on our own self-guided walking tour of the town. Next to Heroes Square is an even larger square, La Grand'Place, used for markets and festivals... or car parking as is the case today. We discover that Arras was located inside the zone rouge (red zone) - an area that was utterly destroyed after WWI. The French government defined the area after the war as being: 

"completely devastated. Damage to properties: 100%. Damage to Agriculture: 100%. Impossible to clean. Human life impossible". 

At the far corner of La Grand'Place is a baroque townhouse that looks like all the others... and yet it is the oldest house in Arras - the only original house left standing after the war. Everything else in this town: the 17th and 18th century houses, the gothic town hall and belfry.... everything else had to be rebuilt. It is a remarkable testament to the people of this town (and as we will discover tomorrow, this entire region) that they had the courage and perseverance to resurrect their homes.

Place des Heros

We also walk through the Cathedral, where there is a wedding taking place... not unusual for a Saturday afternoon I guess. Then past the Beguinage and Arts quarter where we are overtaken by a convoy of cars speeding past with horns blaring. It is the wedding party on their way to the hotel we were originally going to be staying at... so we are quite relieved to have been moved as one suspects the party will go well into the night. 

After yesterday's warm sunshine in Ghent, we feel quite chilled from the cool and overcast afternoon. So we wend our way back to the hotel and treat ourselves to a nice dinner in the hotel's restaurant. Tomorrow will be a long day so we retreat to our room and battle the TV to try and find something/anything that hasn't been dubbed into French. 

Switching sides - visiting Ghent, the great rival!

We heard on our Bruges walking tour how there has been a centuries' long rivalry between Bruges and Ghent. Both wildly successful centres of commerce in the Middle Ages, there have been spats for as long as people have cared to remember, although these days it is more  playful teasing than wars and pillage. The two cities are very close so we only have a 25 minute train journey after breakfast to reach Ghent. 

Walking out of the train station we can immediately feel that Ghent is an entirely different city. There is the grubby modern-ness that characterises all big cities... concrete, tramlines, cars, and a confusing array of signs and noise. We walk along the main road for 600m to the Hamptons B+B and feel infinitely relieved once we step through the main door into a beautifully furnished and quiet hallway. Our accommodation host has already kindly prepared our room, knowing that we'd be early, and so we drop off our bags and head back out.

We follow Mike's suggestion and walk straight to the STAM museum. Housed in an old hospital, it is a good place to start as there is a permanent exhibition charting the history of Ghent. 

STAM museum

We are disappointed to find the cafe closed for lunch so after our museum visit we make the most of our newly purchased city passes and jump on the tram to the historic centre. A quick lunch later and we walk to the Ghent Belfort. Sitting proudly atop this belfry is a newly restored golden dragon... If our Bruges tour guide is correct, it is the same gold dragon that was pinched from Bruges by a raiding party centuries ago. So it is still a bit of a sore point apparently... 

Ghent Belfort (with dragon on top)

Happily this belfry has an elevator and so we take the lift up to the viewing platform. Somehow there isn't the same feeling of accomplishment at the top as if we'd walked up, but the views are still rewarding.

No trip to Ghent is complete without a visit to St Bavo's Cathedral (Sint-Baafskathedraal) so that is our next stop. The high vaulted ceilings are breathtaking, but then we also explore the hidden world of the crypts beneath the main chapels. Here we walk around a display of church treasures ... reliquaries, communion paraphernalia, richly brocaded vestments - all golden and bejewelled. And then it's a fleeting glimpse of Ghent's most famous treasure - the Ghent altarpiece. In a darkened room, behind ceiling-high glass, is the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, the multi-panelled masterpiece painted by the van Eyck brothers in the 15th Century. It is impossible to get a close look as the crowd of audio-guide zombies pressed up against the glass is at least 3-people deep. But at least we can say we have seen it and therefore 'done' Ghent... 

St Bavo's Cathedral 

Inside St Bavo's Cathedral

Back outside in the afternoon sunshine, we make our way towards Graslei, along the banks of the main canal. Having lugged summer clothing halfway around the world, we actually haven't had a chance to wear it. The UK was cool and we escaped the heatwave of a fortnight ago which pushed temperatures in Bruges up to 38 degrees. So it is quite nice to be able to wear a T-shirt today... although as we sit by the canal waiting for our boat trip to begin, we think how useful it would have been to have our hats on our heads rather than in our suitcases back at the B+B...  

Statue honouring Hubert and Jan van Eyck

We missed the chance to do a canal boat trip in Bruges so we make the most of our city pass and join an English-speaking tour. We board a motor boat with a guide and 10 other people. There is a slight gasp when a very portly couple get on the boat and both decide to sit on the same side... at which point the boat tips dangerously close to the waterline. We are saved by a couple of chivalrous men who quickly move to the other side to try and balance things out. Our guide is humorous and knowledgeable and demonstrates that Bruges-Ghent rivalry is alive and well by slamming Bruges as 'Euro-Disney for adults' while talking up his own city's cultural and historic prowess. 

 

Views from the water - Ghent from the canal

It is a completely different experience seeing the city from the water and it is infinitely  more enjoyable motoring along at a slow pace removed from the crowds and traffic. At the end of the tour, our guide catches sight of my T-shirt and comments that he loves Australia... as evidenced by the tattoo of Tasmania that he proudly shows off on his left calf. Now that's devotion.

We rejoin the crowds and make our way on foot to the Gravensteen. The 12th century castle is where the Dukes of Flanders used to reside but it is now the home of the Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments (seriously). That's not really our thing so we don't go inside. Instead we walk along the Oudberg but it is still too early for an evening meal and the restaurants are not yet open. 

Gravensteen

Along the canal

We have been walking for over six hours and feel like we've given Ghent a very good go so we make our way back to the tram stop. Memories of our commute on the London Tube come flooding back as we are crammed in like sardines. The tram carriages are impossibly full and we need to fight our way out or risk missing our stop. Back in our neighbourhood, we stop  at an organic foods store and buy some food for our evening meal. We step back inside our B+B and once again peace descends as soon as we walk over the threshold.

Our first and last evening in Ghent is spent in the quiet back garden of our accommodation, hungrily tucking into our food while a church bell chimes in the distance and the light starts to fade. 

An urban oasis

A slow day in Bruges

Perhaps it is weariness from our long day yesterday and/or the aftereffects of too much Trappist beer(!) but the day has a decidedly leisurely feel. Ross supplements our humble store-bought muesli breakfast with a 'traditional' hot chocolate and croissant before we walk to Jan van Eyckplein. It is a reminder of Bruges' great trading past and features the magnificent 13th to 15th century facades of embassies and merchants' mansions.

Old merchants' houses - Jan van Eyckplein

As the walking tour was a bit rushed yesterday, we retrace our steps back to the Burg so we can explore it a bit further. The square is still busy but nowhere near as mad as yesterday, so we take the opportunity to go inside the Basilica of the Holy Blood. It is a lovely space and we just sit for a while in quiet contemplation.

Inside the Basilica of the Holy Blood

Our meditation is brought to an abrupt halt when there is an announcement that the 'holy relic' is about to make its daily appearance. The call to prayer brings with it a sudden influx of pilgrims (or curious tourists?) so we make a quick exit. After Ross supplements his caffeine levels, lethargy is still the name of the game so we find a seat in the Markt and just watch the world go by for half an hour. The horse-drawn carriages come and go, clip clopping across the cobble stones. Groups of tourists assemble for walking tours, locals expertly weave in and out of the crowds on their bicycles, the bells in the Belfort chime, and pigeons continue to peck away at nothing, oblivious to the hum of humanity that is all around. Lethargy wins out in the end and we decide to return to the hotel to rest for a few hours.

In the late afternoon we walk the short distance to Oud Sint-Jan and find a seat in a small room that has been set up as a performance space. The harpist, Luc van Laere has become something of a Bruges institution. A talented musician and composer who has performed in concert halls around the world, he has spent the last few years giving free daily performances instead. He explains that music is his life and his wish is to now share his love of the harp with everyone - his way of 'giving back'. For 30 minutes he plays an eclectic mix of harps from around the world, some of which he built himself. It's mesmerising and a real treat for us to experience something so different and meaningful. In fact it is a bit of a rude shock afterwards to re-emerge into the late afternoon sunshine and force our way back into the crowds outside. 

A performance by Luc van Laere

For our last evening in Bruges, we find a nice outdoor table at a corner cafe where we can indulge in omelette (another 'traditional' Belgian snack) while we people-watch. It is such a balmy evening that we decide to revisit some of the places from yesterday's tour. We walk back to the Beguinage and this time we're able to appreciate some of the peace of this place, without the public holiday throngs. 

Aspects of the Beguinage

As we walk back to our hotel along the canals and through Minnewater Park, it is one last opportunity to marvel at the architectural splendours within this most precious refuge for Medieval fantasy and endeavour.

 

Chimneys!

Just a few more steps...

The Belfort is to Bruges what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. It is an iconic landmark that defines the city and dominates its skyline. A cathedral to secularism, it was constructed in medieval times to advertise the city's wealth and trading prowess. Hoping to beat the crowds, we make sure that we're at the Belfort by the time it opens at 9:30am ... but when we arrive, there is already a queue that snakes its way up the stairs to the ticket office. 

The Belfort

366 steps to the top...

There are 366 steps winding their way in a tight spiral to the viewing platform near the top of the tower. As there is only one way up and down, a fixed number of people are allowed onto the stairs at any one time. Hence the queue. A frustrating turnstile unlocks to let one person in only when one person comes out. We end up waiting in line for 45 minutes just to reach the turnstile. Once through, there's the ascent. Fortunately there are a couple of levels at which we can catch our breath before tackling the final narrow and steep steps to the top. It is quite harrowing having to pass people coming the other way as somebody must stand still while the other person squeezes past on the narrow stair. 

The belfry has big bells(!) of which we're reminded during our climb when the air starts to tremble with loud BONGS. The sound vibrates our innards and hurries our quest to the top. We definitely want to get out of there before 11am when the fully functional carillon starts to play the first of its two daily concerts.

After much huffing and puffing we reach the top and we're rewarded with a 360 degree view of Bruges in all its heritage splendour. Under leaden skies we can see red roofs and cobbled streets, canals and church spires that puncture the horizon.  

The view from the top

Some fellow visitors offer to take our photo to mark our trek to the top. So here we are looking suitably exhausted. One thing is for sure, there's no way in the universe that Brendan Gleeson managed to haul himself up all those stairs with a couple of gunshot wounds in the movie, In Bruges(!) 

All smiles at the top... even though our legs are screaming

At least gravity is on our side as we make our way downstairs. We pass an even longer queue as we exit onto the Markt and pop into the Tourist Office next door. I am disappointed to find out that tomorrow's walking tour is already fully booked, but we're told about another tour that sets off in 30 minutes. We stand outside on the Markt for a while and listen to the belfry's carillon playing eclectic tunes including ... Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody...?! The wind is cold however and it starts to rain. We decide to forego the early tour and instead head back to our room for some warmer and drier clothing. After lunch we take a detour through the beautiful Minnewater park and from there head back to the Markt for the afternoon walking tour.

Minnewater

We join around 20 other tourists and a bubbly young guide for a 2-hour walking tour of the city. We're shown many picturesque squares and historical buildings like the old hospital and Begijnhuisje (beguinage) - a place for religious lay women. They lived together in a quiet and peaceful community without taking religious vows but where they could engage in prayer and charitable deeds (sounds quite idyllic really). And we hear plenty of historical facts and anecdotes - local scandals, and stories about the forever feud between Bruges and nearby Ghent.   

Oud Sint-Jan which functioned as a hospital from the 12th century up until 1977

Fortunately the rain has stopped even though it remains overcast and cool. It has not kept the crowds away though. Once again the streets are packed and our tour group has to carefully negotiate its way down narrow laneways, past other similar tour groups and many horse-drawn carriages. We're also passed by some unusual carriages - not the usual brown horses and black carriages that carry tourists around, but beautifully groomed horses and passengers wearing period dress... What's going on? A wedding? A parade? We later find out it is a public holiday today in Bruges to celebrate the Ascension of the Blessed Virgin.

 

Prancing ponies and their well-dressed drivers

We pass the "most photographed" spot in Bruges... Thanks to the movie, tourists fall over each other to photograph the view over the canal towards the Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce hotel. 

The most photographed view in Bruges... apparently 

An equally picturesque view

We finish our tour at the Burg Square outside the City Hall and the Basilica of the Holy Blood. At the far top right of the facade is a little figure holding a golden staff. Legend has it the Count of Flanders, who built all this in 1150 brought home a tiny scrap of fabric (with drops of Christ's blood) from The Second Crusade. The relic now lives in a vial in the adjacent  Basilica of the Holy Blood, where it is brought out daily for veneration. Of course the Church never allowed for it to be tested and so faith brings out the true believers and curious tourists to try and catch a glimpse of it.

The impressive facade of the City Hall

Basilica of the Holy Blood

We've done a lot of walking and in a bid to escape the crowds we retreat back to our room for a couple of hours to rest our tired feet before dinner.

I have arranged for us to meet a University colleague this evening. Although he is based in Ghent, he will be out of town when we're there later in the week so he offers to make the short train journey to Bruges instead. Unfortunately the Half Moon Brewery is closed this evening but we find a place nearby on Walplein where we three enjoy a hearty meal. On Mike's advice, Ross tries the Flemish beef stew with frites and a 'traditional' Belgian beer that packs a punch owing to its 8% alcohol content. That's quite normal here apparently and anything less than that is considered a laughing stock? I am quite content with what must be the nicest cooked salmon meal I've had in a very long time. It is great to catch up and Mike is very generous with suggestions about places to visit when we get to Ghent. Mike insists on treating us another drink before he heads back to the railway station so after dinner we make our way back to the Markt.

A familiar face

The clouds have cleared to reveal a beautiful evening. And so our day finishes where it began - at the foot of the Belfort - although as the light fades and the square is lit up, it assumes an entirely different and most beautiful appearance. 

Full circle - the Belfort at night

We say our goodbyes to Mike and head our separate ways. It has been a very long and tiring day but we have seen so much and experienced a lot of this old and quite enchanting city. Somehow we coax our tired feet to walk just a few steps more back to the hotel and some much needed sleep.

To Brugge

Having requested an early breakfast, our host obliges by ushering us into our own private dining room. The table is already set with an amazing spread of cereals, fruit, nuts and yoghurt but he also prepares toast and coffee for Ross, and cooks me a bowl of porridge. All the while he and Ross are engaged in a deep discussion about the economy and Brexit...

We leave well before 9am and join the commuter crush on the Tube. It is standing room only as we squeeze our suitcases and bags into the carriage and make the uncomfortably cramped journey to St Pancras. We can finally exhale once the doors open and we spill out onto the platform. The Eurostar terminal is actually just as frantic but we do manage to find a little relief on the upper level where Ross grabs a quiet spot to enjoy a coffee. At Departures our passports are checked as we leave the UK and two metres further on, are checked again by French gendarmes as we enter their jurisdiction. Once on the train we settle in to our comfortable seats with our newspapers for the 2 hour journey ahead.

Au revoir Londres

The Eurostar deposits us in Brussels ... considering it is the gateway to the EU, the station is incredibly chaotic, poorly lit and poorly signed. We struggle to find our connecting train as everything is indecipherable (French/Flemish/some weird combination?) There is a mobile phone vendor who seems to be helping similarly confused English-speakers with directions to regional trains and platforms so it is only due to her kindness that we find ourselves on the correct train to Brugge. 

One hour and a short taxi-ride from the station later, we are checked-in to our hotel in Bruges. Novotel may advertise itself as being a top tier offering from the Accor group but our room would suggest otherwise. It is a bit shabby and in desperate need of a refurb. Maybe because tourists in the past have stolen everything that wasn't chained to the floor, only flimsy paper cups and wooden stirrers are on offer in lieu of cups and teaspoons. We make a quick detour to the supermarket across the road to pick up some breakfast supplies for the morning and then head out to explore. 

The streets are absolutely packed with tourists. The narrow pavements cannot contain the throngs and so people spill into the cobblestone roads and have to dodge the many horse-drawn carriages that go at speed around the old city, as well as cars and cyclists. We follow the sea of bobbing heads down the main shopping street towards the Markt (market square).  

The Markt

We'll have more time to explore tomorrow but the market square is impressive - it is fringed with beautiful 17th century houses, all with stepped gable roofs. The imposing Belfort (belfry) dominates one end along with the Historium. There are plenty of impressive buildings in this UNESCO world heritage city. Impossibly tall brick cathedrals that reach skywards and avenues of colourful traders' houses.

Bruges vistas

But fatigue and hunger eventually get the better of us and soon we just have to sit down and eat. We are not fussy and settle on a casual dining place in a small square off the main drag.  The one benefit of a tourist town is that everyone speaks good English here and happily in Bruges, menus and signs are all in English as well as Flemish. If there is something Belgium is renowned for it is beer so Ross is spoilt for choice. We are both happier once our stomachs are full but it has been a long day and our journey from London catches up with us so we navigate the maze of streets back to our hotel.

Beer!

Beer might be one of Belgium's best known exports but so are chocolate and waffles. The air is thick with sugary fragrance and it seems that every second shop here has a mouthwatering spread of chocolates on display. Signs outside cafes advertise hot chocolate and waffles with ice cream, nutella and every other manifestation of sugar you could imagine.  Our hotel must be located in chocolate central as both sides of the street are lined with delicious treats. It is like living in Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

Sugary treats in Bruges

We are both so tired though that all the chocolate in the world couldn't keep us from our bed. So we push and shove our way past the crowds eagerly pressed up against chocolate shop windows and retreat to our little sanctuary for the night.