Flemish Bond/het Gravensteen/trams and boats and not quite planes

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The three cities of Bruges, Antwerp and Gent were always on the radar for visiting. European medieval history cannot be complete without a visit to compare the differences between the Protestant North of Europe with that of Catholic southern Europe. Flemish artworks to be compared with the work of Italian masters, the guild houses, flemish bond brickwork and gabled houses all reminders of North European culture. Gent felt small and fairly compact with easy car parking facilities close to the centre. Tram lines ran along the streets intersecting market squares full of shops selling chocolate and the cafes which spilled onto the streets. Gent proved to be a bicycle heaven with most locals using them as their preferred mode of transport. The cafes proved to be pleasant places to enjoy a coffee The ambience thought felt different perhaps this was due to the cold and dank Autumn weather. Tall Gothic cathedrals, stadhuis and belforts stood proud over the town. Het Gravensteen was perched at the end of one such street, dominating the town with its greyness and the sinister overbearing character of the blockwork. I couldnt imagine a medieval knight rescueing his maiden from this block of granite. He would have struggled to claim anything from its bulk. Perhaps on a sunny day it may have looked less menacing. The canals of Gent were picturesque, houses nearby covered in windowboxes full of pink and red geraniums. Although we didnt manage a boat trip on them and for sightseeing it was possible to hire a horse drawn carriage. A pleasant place to see and where it was possible to spend a day wandering in and out of the labyrinth of tiny streets and alleys.

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