Gems in Ghent

The Marriott in Ghent was only a year old when we stayed there for part of our American Thanksgiving weekend in November 2007.

Sleek and modern with all the niceties you would expect from the Marriott brand, the hotel proved to be a very pleasant base for our trip in Beligium.

The biggest advantage is that we were perfectly situated to explore the historic section of Ghent itself on foot while Brussels, Bruges, and Ypres were within easy reach by car.

While rates vary, we also felt as if we got a bargain per a special on the internet at 119 Euro a night for two adults and a child. (Additional adults will always add $$.) Parking will set you back another 15 Euro. Internet for 24 hours in your room is 20 Euro. Still, not terrible for Europe. Heck. It REALLY felt like a bargain compared to hotels in England!

So what was the room like? Very nice. Spacious. Comfortable. Modern. We had two double beds in our room that were cushy with plenty of pillows. Nicely appointed with simple lines, silver frames, black and white pictures. Tons of storage space. A decent sized bathroom. A large workspace if you want for a desk. Flat screen TV with four channels in English. Tea service. Mini-bar. We splurged one evening with our son by laying out the 13 Euros needed to select an in-room movie while I eyed the room service menu. While we didn't eat within the hotel, you can order traditional Flemish food from the chef.

How was the service? Great. Quick. Eager. I'm always a bit blown away when I learn a guy at the reception desk can speak five different languages. Geez.

Was there anything special about this hotel? Well, one thing I found striking about this particular Marriott is how the building itself has been integrated into the historic front of Ghent. On the modern side of the hotel that you approach from the less-than-pretty sections of the city, it looks like any other big hotel anywhere. (This is where you'll find the parking garage.) When you walk through the atrium-style lobby splashed with the red color of poppies on the carpet, you can tell the place is new. Now go through a door that leads to the historic section of Ghent... the side that overlooks a canal. Turn around and see the Marriott is understated. The building could be hundreds of years old here! The architect did a fabulous job, and I'm impressed by these sorts of things.

Bottom line? This isn't a boutique hotel with local charm, but it is a quality place to stay... as good as any other that have earned the Marriott brand a good reputation.

We had read about Chez Leontine in another journal on IgoUgo. The review was so glowing that my husband did a little more research to see if we'd be interested. When he read you can get a pint of just about every Belgium beer offered on a book-length menu, we had the concierge at our hotel call ahead and make reservations for an early dinner. Once we were seated, we were very glad we had done this because we watched the host turn several folks away who walked in off the street looking for a table. Apparently, eateries get booked up on the weekends, so you might want to do a little planning.

What was the decor like? This is a traditional Flemish pub, and we were seated near the long wooden bar. As I took off my coat and got settled in my wicker chair, I loved looking around at the jumbled books stacked in between doorways, the black and white photos of some austere people in Belgium days that were framed near the window, the water spigot that was hanging like a piece of art on one wall. There was something very provincial and comfortable about the place that made the whole experience... well... European. This affect was amplified by era music from the 20s that created an undercurrent of pleasant sound.

Service? Fortunately, the menu had English text included, and our waiter spoke English as well. He proved to be a little gruff... not the type to talk to you about your vacation or make suggestions about what to get ("It depends on what you like!" said with bewildered shrug.)... but he was efficient enough, and that was what really mattered the most.

How was the food? We wanted local cuisine so each of us ordered a traditional meal from Ghent. I had the rabbit which was falling of its bones into a sweet sauce. My son chose the thick Waterzooi soup that came in a bowl bigger than his head and was full of chicken and potatoes. (You could get a fish version instead.) Served with bread, he couldn't finish all of it. My husband had the Flemish stew with shredded beef served on a plate. We tried the Klokke Roeland, the house beer, which is an amber with 11% alcohol. (On the beer front, you're definitely spoiled for choice.) Even so, our bill was under 50 Euro for an excellent meal.

I would highly recommend this place to anyone in future. It was a wonderful experience all around.

Tip: It's hard to find the Chez Leontine sign, but this restaurant is a part of Het Waterhuis a/d Bierkant. Look for THAT sign instead. (Chez Leontine is right beside it.) Both are on a canal.

Instead of paying hotel rates for breakfast, we decided to find a cafe one morning in Ghent. After 10 AM on a Sunday, a lot of the little bakeries did not seem to be open quite yet, so we were happy when we spotted the Non Solo Caffe with its bright yellow and white striped awning in the Emile Braunplein. We went inside to be shown to a cushy booth.

How was the atmosphere here? When we sat down Dusty Springfield was singing "Son of a Preacher Man" in the background. Tea candles were lit across the black marble counter near the cash register. The tables were all blonde wood. Cakes and pastries on display under glass looked delicious. The other patrons were well dressed and chatting happily away. We could have been in a trendy American cafe in Atlanta except the menus weren't written in English, the two women in silver jewelery sipping some sort of amber drink from wine glasses beside us were speaking in Dutch, and the prices were in Euros.

We ordered croissants to be served with jam, coffee and chocolate milk. With a friendly nod, our waitress wrote down the order and returned in just a few minutes. In addition to the bread, we were each given a chocolate doughnut hole pastry that melted on the tongue.

The bill for breakfast was around 12 Euro.

Bottom line? If you went to sit down for breakfast, this is a nice enough cafe. You can do as we did afterwards and walk straight over to the Sint-Niklaaskerk to see the lovely chapel and view the art they have on display. (The crypt is closed until after the completion of the religious service on Sundays.) Also, with a light meal like this one, you'll probably be able to fit in a Belgian waffle bought from any number of street vendors, hot off their grills without feeling guilty. They are sweet without syrup though you can add chocolate sauce if you'd like. Yum!

World War I devastated Europe. It wiped out whole villages, whole generations. It was the "Great War" yielding suffering so horrible and futile that men were never going to pick up arms again. Of course, they did, and WWI became just a sad prelude to WWII.

While I believe America played a decisive part in ending this particular European conflict, the US did not enter until late in the game. So when we study history, we do not concentrate as much on the Old World's many tangled alliances, the old conflicts that caused such a heinous domino-effect of war declarations at the beginning of the 20th century and allowed a whole continent to fall into chaotic darkness.

In other words, we do not feel the pain of loss as deeply, so we do not remember as well.

Anyway, when I moved to England I couldn't help but notice all of the poppies that began to appear on people's lapels in November. Old men, women, and children. News presenters, actors, and teachers. The Queen, princes and princessess. Everywhere I looked. Red paper like splashes of blood through Remembrance Sunday.

It was then I first read---as in REALLY read---the poem called "In Flanders' Fields" by Canadian officer John McCrae. He wrote it as a major. He died as a lieutenant colonel an ocean away from his home. He still calls from his grave to the Commonwealth:

"If ye break faith with us who die
we shall not sleep, though poppies grow
in Flander's Fields."

I wanted to honor the past by beginning to understand it more... by remembering.

My family and I made a special trip to a city that was a focal point for all this waste, loss, and despair. After all, when the opposing forces entrenched themselves along their lines for battle, Ieper was completely destroyed... reduced to rubble. In three monumental clashes here, more than 70,000 lost their lives. That is more American soldiers than died in Vietnam! It was hard for me to conceive of this as the town itself has been rebuilt as it used to look... as if blood was never soaked into its soil.

The reconstructed cloth hall near the Gothic-style cathedral houses the excellent In Flanders' Fields Museum. This is a great starting point, so we found parking and paid the 7.50 Euro entry fee per adult.

How was the museum? Haunting. There is a looping soundtrack that begins with the British song "Will Ye Go to Flanders", punctuated with the commentary of European soldiers speaking with different accents, in different languages. This music follows you around as you read the exhibits, trying to make sense of all those dead boys.

Afterwards, we drove to Tyne Cot Cemetery where we walked amongst the gravestones of the Commonwealth. Each showed the country of the soldier's origin... a multitude of represented lands stretching across the Empire.

We stood with heads bowed in this still place, the weight of silence breaking a mother's heart... in Flanders' Fields.

Bruges is sometimes called "the jewel of Flanders." It is an ancient town that has managed to survive all the wars of Europe. During the terrible violence of the early twentieth century, it might surprise you to know that on two occassions German officers who felt the town was too beautiful to be destroyed went to the effort to move actual battle lines to protect the place from bombing. Historically, since the port was silted hundreds of years before thus making certain types of development here difficult, Bruges was able to stay locked in the past that would help it enjoy the prosperity that is always brought with high levels of tourist dollars in the present.

So what is there to see here and how much time will you need to spend? For the lover of architecture, photography, art, and religious history, Bruges is a delight to be savored. With that said, we were able to get a good feel for the place in just one very full day.

The Basilica of the Holy Blood is a small church near the town hall that I thought was absolutely beautiful. Piped-in choir music and dim lighting in the small Romanesque chapels (there are two on separate floors) gives a kind of Goth feel to the place. But, oh! All is so lovely to see! Mystic is, indeed, the perfect adjective to have spring to mind.... In both chapels, we took a moment to just sit and look at everything around us. On the second floor you'll find a bishop on a raised dais holding the basilica's claim to glory. Here is a silver capped vial that is supposed to hold the blood of Christ. Believers are invited to venerate the relic, and they queue to go up the stairs and down again before praying. Regardless of your beliefs, this is a seriously beautiful church.

The 13th-15th century Belfry Tower is on the Market Square. The thing to do here is to climb the narrow 300+ steps to the stop to see the orange roofs of Bruges spread below you. I loved the iron work of the doors that were once used to lock up the city's money.

A canal ride is the perfect way to quickly see many of the Flemish gabled buildings that line the streets. Get to the front of the boat to hear the best. Our tour guide was only, truthfully, mediocre, but the ride itself made up for the unenthusiastic commentary.

The Church of Our Lady houses the only Michelangelo sculpture to have ever been sold to someone outside of Italy in the famous artist's lifetime. While this was interesting to see, I liked the tombs in the separate "museum" part of the church (small entrance fee.) You can view paintings on the inside plaster work that used to house the coffins of important persons. Art for the dead?

And then there are the lace shops, and the chocolate, and the art museums, and, and, and....

Castles are always good things to tour when traveling with a kid, so we walked over to the Gravensteen one morning. You must remember that at one point Ghent was a powerful city state. Flanders itself was rich because of its cloth. There were close ties to England. Money meant power, so this wasn't just a tiny hamlet that was without consequence. A count here was as a good as another country's prince. Sooo, it's only logical a suitable castle would be erected. The one you can visit was built in the 12th century by a count who was doomed to die in the crusades.

Our visit: Though opened at 9am, we seemed to be the only people at the ticket office when it was pushing 10. That was fine with us. We like having monuments to ourselves. The cost was under 7 Euro per adult, and our son's ticket was just a fraction of this. There was an additional charge, however, for a recorded tour. Having gone to castles galore at this point, my son shook his head when we asked if he wanted one. "No, thanks." When the gentleman pulled out a mini-television, however, the kid got re-interested. Indeed, I've never seen a recorded tour quite like this one anywhere else. It's like a little movie on its tiny screen.

How was the audio/visual tour? The idea behind the presentation is really kind of brilliant. The actors in the tour are able to stage each room you see for the scenes of intrigue they play out. History is relayed through their dialogue. This would be especially appealing to older kids... 9+.

With that said, I think the idea could've been executed better. The makers tried to be a little too clever.

They have the actors "break character" and carry on a subplot in modern times at certain points. I guess this was to make the "show" more interesting. But that just added time to the tour... and made some of "the story" convoluted.

I mean, I don't care about watching a sitcom when I'm visiting Belgium. I was only interested in the background about the castle itself... and the historical countess on whom the story focused, the one who called herself Queen. So I give the tour a mixed review. It does add something, but it's not gonna blow your mind.

How's the castle without the TV tour? Certain exhibits are marked such as the French guillotine (!) near the room that houses instruments of torture. Don't miss the grated pit in the middle of the floor near the chapel. It was here in which unfortunate souls were sometimes kept prisoner. The observation tower does give you a nice view of the town itself, and I could easily imagine counts of days gone past scheming about how they could leverage the money of the merchants while pacing back and forth, surveying the "kingdom."

It's not the Tower of London, but the Gravensteen is still worth seeing.