Suggestions for Ghent, Belgium Travel

[chrisvia]

I will be traveling to Ghent, Belgium for business soon, and I'd like some ideas as to what to see/do/etc. I love architecture, art, second-hand bookstores, etc., and I like all of the ideas on this walking tour: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/ghent/3095010008.html. In addition to this walking tour and the Museum of Fine Arts (I look forward to Bruegel, Rubens, and noirs of Redon), is there anything that shouldn't be missed?

Thanks in advance!

[kiki1982]

Go and eat Gentse Waterzooi, a kind of soup.

You can go and see the castle in the centre of town (het Gravensteen), then there is the SMAK (Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst - City Museum of Contemporary art, founded by the great Jan Hoet who was guest curator of the Dokumenta in Kassel once). I don't know much in terms of second hand book stores as it wasn't my home town, but you can also take a brief boat trip, go and see the Vooruit theatre (old socialist I believe Jugendstil architecture, at least on the outside).

I believe there must be some textile museum or something, or maybe a printing museum if you are interested.

[chrisvia]

Go and eat Gentse Waterzooi, a kind of soup.

You can go and see the castle in the centre of town (het Gravensteen), then there is the SMAK (Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst - City Museum of Contemporary art, founded by the great Jan Hoet who was guest curator of the Dokumenta in Kassel once). I don't know much in terms of second hand book stores as it wasn't my home town, but you can also take a brief boat trip, go and see the Vooruit theatre (old socialist I believe Jugendstil architecture, at least on the outside).

I believe there must be some textile museum or something, or maybe a printing museum if you are interested.

Thank you very much!

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

chrisvia,

I have not been to Belgium, but seeing the your reference to Ghent sparked a vague recollection of a famous painting in a church.
I just now searched and found what I was thinking of; the "Ghent Alterpiece" started by Herbert van Eyck and finished by his brother Jan van Eyck located in Saint Bavo Cathedral.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghent_Altarpiece

I learned that Saint Bavo also houses the painting; "St. Bavo enters the Convent at Ghent" by Peter Paul Rubens.

If I were making that business trip, I would not miss the "Ghent Alterpiece"
Please share your tour, regardless of what you decide to visit.

[chrisvia]

chrisvia,

I have not been to Belgium, but seeing the your reference to Ghent sparked a vague recollection of a famous painting in a church.
I just now searched and found what I was thinking of; the "Ghent Alterpiece" started by Herbert van Eyck and finished by his brother Jan van Eyck located in Saint Bavo Cathedral.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghent_Altarpiece

I learned that Saint Bavo also houses the painting; "St. Bavo enters the Convent at Ghent" by Peter Paul Rubens.

If I were making that business trip, I would not miss the "Ghent Alterpiece"
Please share your tour, regardless of what you decide to visit.

Thanks for your reply, Gilliatt! I read about the altar piece in the walking tour, and I will definitely be fitting this into the leisure time schedule.

And don't worry, I plan to post details of my trip, pictures included, when I return. Hopefully the blog on here will allow me to post by then. Any one know when you finally get to post a blog entry on here? I think I was able to with my former account.

[kiki1982]

of course, Van Eyk, how could I forget.