Ghent is wonderful

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Today we started a bit later so eileen could catch some much needed z's. At this point in the trip, her nose is running so bad she is keeping a tissue under her nose at all times. She is starting to resemble an Asian tourist with a white mask over her face. Our first stop this morning is a pharmacist. This was a great experience. The pharmacist was behind the counter and eileen was able to describe her symptoms and get some medicine right away. We decided to take advantage of Starbucks being available and grabbed a gallon sized hot tea and breakfast. After breakfast, the Ghent belfry was the next stop which promised picture perfect views of the town and did not disappoint. We shared the belfry with cute Belgium school children on field trips. Luckily, we didn't have to climb since they installed a elevator a few years ago. We also enjoyed the music box bell mechanism and a video on how bells are forged. St.Bravos cathedral called us and we crossed the square to visit this major tourist spot in town. Jan and Herbert Vaneyck's masterpiece called the Lamb of God is housed here. It was absolutely stunning. We also had a quick tour of the church from a volunteer. The church was massive and had major displays of artwork, gold and silver. After getting right with God, we met up with a free walking tour. Fabio, our tour guide, met us at the Uppelink hostel and was fantastic. He was originally from Spain, but moved to Ghent 4 years ago and loves the city. He toured us around and explained lots of the prominent buildings. He also took time to point out good chocolate shops, best pubs, and restaurants. The tour lasted 2.5 hours and he walked us to a frites shop after to get authentic Belgium Fries. The frites were delicious! After a late lunch, dessert was in order for went back to a chocolate shop that Fabio recommended and selected a few pieces. "Sniffle" and I needed a little warm up time so a quick trip back to the hotel before dinner. our dinner spot tonight was awesome. The restaurant was called Balls and Glory. It was a meatball based restaurant where you get to select 1 of the 4 daily types of meatballs and a side. The meatballs were enormous and filled with a sauce. I had a chicken meatball with truffles. The minimalist decor was modern and sleek and the clientele was mostly college students. It was a cool experience. After dinner, we took advantage of the Ghent lighting plan in the city and I was able to capture these unique building all lite up. The tour was cut a little short because of how cold it is was outside. We headed back to the hotel for a little tv and tea!

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