Belgium: Bruges, Antwerp and Ghent
 

Hello dear fodories!
My loving children will forgive us for saying that it is infinitely nicer to travel without them. Our weekend getaway to Belgium was neither a dream trip nor even a particularly fascinating one, but it allowed DH and me, for the first time in ages, to spend time just as we wanted, not as our occasionally capricious offspring demand. As always, my DH wrote a travelog for those who want to pick up some ideas about accomodations, FOOD, things to do, what we liked ect... Here it is: http://burlaki.com/travelog/2008/06/...ghent/#more-47
Thank you for reading! Feel free to post comments.
Matroskin

Oh dear, opportunities missed.

Antwerp cathedral houses four Rubens altarpieces, not just "several important artworks". I am not a paid-up member of the God Squad, Catholic, nor an art expert, but had me motionless for quite a while.

And Gent cathedral with van Eyck's altarpiece is offered in some guides as the "if you do nothing else see this" item.

Thanks!
Noted

It is probably important to note that our focus in travels is primarily on architecture. We rarely miss a chance to visit a gallery with a good collection of famous paintings on display. However, if the key attraction of a church is a painting or a few, that is normally of less interest to us.

Say, Sistine Chapel's Michelangelo's Judgement Day is more than a painting on display; van Eyck's Adoration of the Lamb in Ghent's cathderal, by itself, does not justify a visit if the time is limited. We have not seen enough of a mention of the architectural splendor of St Bavo's to plan on visiting. I realize that later going to the design museum was probably a less inspired choice than visiting the cathedral, but that what happens sometimes when you plan less than perfectly for a short visit... We should have tried to fit in both.

I'll update the Travelog entry, by the way. Thanks for pointing it out.

Nice report, I like your web site, very clean layout.

FWIW, if you go back to Bruges, head over to the "other side" of 't Zand. The number of tourists plummets once you cross over, that part of the city is still very attractive but much more geared towards locals. There are a few nice, moderately priced, restaurants on Smedenstraat in that neighborhood, including Bonheur (and the restaurant next door, whose name I forget).