This is the view from St. Michael's bridge, which we found after getting thoroughly lost.
Ghent is one of those cities where people just co-exist with ancient buildings and don't even think about it. The city was never bombed in the world wars, so the architecture and art go back a long ways. This is the Christmas market, a tradition that's been around for a long time and has changedfrom peasants selling their wares (as part of the rise of the middle class, I suspect) to modern ferris wheels. The tall building in the background is the bell tower.
After getting ourselves situated in the hotel, we wandered out in the mist, headed toward the Christmas Market, and the Ghent Altarpiece. We got well and truly lost. And hungry. Finally saw a restaurant that looked friendly and local--our style--and wandered in for beer and food. Ended up sitting next to a lovely couple who didn't know much English (and we know zip Flemish), but we managed to communicate just fine. They got us situated on the map. We were way off from where we thought we were going. It's so interesting, trying to find your way around these old cities with short streets that change names in the middle. Everything looks further away than it is.
Anyway, we wanted to see the Ghent Altarpiece (Adoration of the Lamb) in St. Baafskathedraal. I'd studied it in Art History class in college, and had been reminded of it when I saw the movie "Monuments Men". But due to our having gotten so lost, we arrived about 25 minutes too late to get in to see it. However, the info guy took pity on us and took us to see four huge candlesticks that had had a history with both Henry VIII and Oliver Cromwell. They ended up in this cathedral in Ghent because Cromwell sold them to help finance his war. One of the candlesticks is below, center left. The tomb with the white marble columns and the reclining man is that of the bishop who bought the candlesticks from Cromwell. (BTW, the area where these candlesticks are was so cold we could see our breath!)
War is brought up fairly often over here, pretty casually, as a part of their history. I've noticed it before, starting with the first time I went to Italy. The bombings of WWII did great damage to the great art of Europe. And the Nazis looted art in every city they conquered, some of which has never been returned. It makes me sad, these stories of armies destroying priceless pieces of human history. Not to mention the cost in human lives and cultures. What would we be, if we were not constantly at war.
Much more cheerful were these figures on top of a building. So whimsical! I'd love to know who all they were, but if there was an explantion, we didn't see it.
There was a piper, so of course I got a closeup of him. There are quite a few pipers in Belgium. The Flemish artists such as the Breugels painted everyday scenes of peasants at markets, fairs, planing crops, drinking beer, etc. Often there's a piper in the background.
We wandered through the Christmas market and walked along the river on our way back to the hotel. Got up late the next morning and went back to see the Altarpiece. Good heavens, it's gorgeous in person. The gold leaf makes the piece shine. I love the decorative quality of it, the gold bands on the clothing, the jewels in the crowns and on the clothes.The serene faces, the sheer abundance of detail. The fabric draping, the rich colors. Each panel has religious story and significance, but I simply love to look it as a piece of great beauty. It was a thrill to see, since I'd only seen pictures until now. I wanted to photograph it, but there were signs saying no photographs. This is a postcard I took a picture of.
After occupying Belgium, the Nazis made off with the altarpiece. As depicted in the movie "Monuments Men", it was recovered and restored to its original place. Interestingly, the bottom left panel is a copy made in 1932, as that panel was stolen in the early 1930's and never recovered. Somewhere in the world, it's up on someone's wall, or stored away where no one sees it. Grrr. Great art should be shared, as it is a part of history of the human race.
We wandered down into the crypt of St. Bavos (the short name for Baafskathedraal), which was lovely. A much earlier style than the Gothic cathedral above. An older style of arch, much more primitive paintings. But simple and lovely.
There were also old illustrated Bibles, in dim alcoves. Fortunately, my little Canon Elph will take pretty good pictures without flash. I would not want my flash to contribute toward the deterioration of these priceless bits of history.
Having wandered into just about everywhere in St. Bavos, we went back out into the cold and wet, got some bread and a raclette sandwich (yummy melted cheese) at the Christmas market, then headed back to the hotel, retrieved our luggage, took a taxi to the train station and headed to Bruges for three days, our final stop in Belgium.
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