Looking for Medieval and Renaissance History

June 11, 2013

The Silver Cloud brought us to Oostende, Belgium early Tuesday morning.  Oostende is another beach resort community on the North Sea.  Unlike Honfleur, Oostende was mostly destroyed during both world wars.  There still is a beautiful, lovingly restored renaissance cathedral that was easily visible from our docked ship.  Otherwise, most of the undistinguished architecture dates from the nineteen fifties on.  Oostende has a lovely beach and, for reasons unclear, a Ferris wheel as does every port we have visited lately.  The port served us mainly as another point from which to reach more famous sites in Belgium.

Michael and I made our way to the railway station and purchased tickets for Bruges and Ghent.    Michael visited Bruges nearly fifteen years ago but had never been to Ghent.  Both historic cities were new to me.  We arrived at Bruges after a comfortable 20-minute ride on an express train.  We attempted to follow the walking tour I had copied from an old Fodor's Guide to the Benelux Countries.  Somehow, I got us turned around in the main square. Michael and I walked on a side street that went to the opera house instead of the fish market.  We had a good laugh when a young woman asked us where we all were.  When we figured out our location, we completed the walking tour in a few hours of leisurely walking. The map was actually very good.

Michael was disappointed at the changes in Bruges.  I was also somewhat disappointed to see that the historic old hanseatic houses all seemed to have had plate glass windows installed on their ground floors.  Every building seemed a tourist shop of one kind or another.  Lace, chocolate, fashion of all kinds and small souvenirs (probably made in China) were for sale everywhere.  The old town hall has been turned into a museum, as have most of the other large buildings on or near the main square. 

Michael and I generally start out early to avoid crowds.  We didn't succeed this day because the ship was not cleared by the authorities for passengers to leave until after 9:00 am.  By 10:00 am, Bruges had tour groups everywhere we walked. Still, the day was pleasantly warm and sunny and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Next, on to Ghent.  A somewhat longer rail journey brought us to the southern outskirts of the city.  We opted to walk the mile plus to the city center.  The scenery was not as beautiful as Bruges but we could see that Ghent is a real city engaged in real commerce.  Bruges, in contrast, was more of a Disneyland devoted almost exclusively to tourism. Ghent's Kornmarkt, the three tall bell towers and the town hall were impressive.  The rows of hanseatic houses and guildhalls were more authentic than in Bruges.  There was, however, a strange structure on a plaza at the side of the town hall. It looked like a modernistic interpretation of a gabled shed on concrete pillars.  I suspect that concerts and festivals are held here, possible even a market.

We lunched in a restaurant below this plaza.  There was underground parking there too, out of sight so not to mar the ancient architecture of the center city.  Michael and I compared true Belgian brewed Stella Artois to the kind we enjoy in Boulder, Colorado.  The Stella in Belgium is not so sour and fresher tasting. We also ate beautifully smoked salmon.

We toured St. Michael's Church, a beautiful, ornate, renaissance church filled with artwork and sculpture, and walked by the other major attractions.  I, of course, took many photos. A tram to the railway station, a fast trip back to Oostende, a walk to the ship and we were back in time for afternoon tea.

Bruges and Ghent were different than I had expected.  I think I had subconsciously expected them to be frozen in time.  The sixteenth to eighteenth century buildings were still there.  The cities had not been bombed in WW II so the ancient architecture survived.  However, they had adapted in different ways to late 20^th century life.  Bruges had become a well cared for theme park and Ghent preserved the old buildings but built a newer city around them.  One of the most rewarding things about traveling is to have illusions dispelled.  The observed sights are really far more interesting than are those imagined.