Saturday 29th June, 2019
I love all the organising, researching the countries, towns and cities we will visit and what they have to offer and sharing this info and negotiating with our travel buddies about their preferences to come up with an itinerary and a wish list.
The build up to this current adventure has been momentous, culminating with dear friend Jill arriving 2 days prior to our departure. She will have a ball in our warm winter on the Gold Coast, along with her other Hobartian friends.
Departure Day!
Leaving on a Jet plane…….. Looking out the window at Brisbane International Airport, the jet looks small. It may have been the lateness of the day, with a departure time of 11:50pm.
We’re pretty excited about returning to Singapore, to see how much the Republic of Singapore Island City/state, 1 degree north of the equator, has developed. We visited Singapore on numerous occasions while living in Malaysia.
In 1819 Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles negotiated a treaty leading to the establishment of the British Colony of Singapore.
During WWII (1942-1945), Singapore was conquered and occupied by the Japanese Empire. Under this regime my Grand Dad spent time in Changi prison. After the war Singapore reverted back to British control with increasing levels of self governance being granted, culminating in Singapore’s merger with the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia in 1963. However, social unrest and disputes over politics resulted in Singapore’s expulsion from Malaysia. Singapore became an independent republic on 9/9/1965.
During the late 60s and 70s, Singapore focused on development and establishing a manufacturing industry. By 1990 the country had become one of the world’s most prosperous nations. That’s an amazing quick turnaround from a once poor country. Singapore is 700 square kilometres and there are now approximately 5.7 million people living there. It has been 30 years since I was last there. David returned in 2005 to visit Parliament and deliver a paper at a conference. We are expecting many changes.
With a smooth flight and a tail wind, the plane arrived 50 minutes earlier than expected and prior to our travelling compadres who departed from Canberra. Quite the opposite situation to what was expected. Changi Airport was large and modern in the late 80s and is now very large, but little did either couple know we would land at different terminals. We were both flying Singapore Airlines from Australia. Go figure! At 5am in the morning, anyone is allowed to be confused. We made contact at our amazing accommodation, before sunrise.
Singapore Botanic Gardens, established in 1859 (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) was our first outing for the day. The gardens are pristine and orchids are so so beautiful. Look closely at the tree trunk! We also especially visited the Ethnobotany Garden where, other than plants that play a role in human society, encompassing their use in medicine, rituals, crafts, culture and more, there are murals painted by Yip Yew Chong, on boulders.
A cool beverage was in order after walking around the Botanic Gardens and we knew the Manhattan bar was on our way to Orchard Road and we may not make it back there during the next few days. The bar was full of locals enjoying Brunch, but they allowed us in and took us to a tasteful private room just to the side. My Singapore Sling hit the spot.
After browsing a couple of shopping centres along Orchard Road, we head back to The Fullerton Bay Hotel to check in and have a welcomed swim in the pool and enjoy one of two spas. There is no doubt Singapore is hot and steamy. The views are fabulous from our room and amazing from the rooftop pool and restaurant. Funny they allow you to drink out of glass in the spa, but when we later had dinner beside the pool, the wine glasses were plastic!
1 July
This morning began with a magnificent breakfast at out hotel followed by a walk around the bay to Marina Bay Sands Hotel. The three pillars of accommodation supporting a stylised long boat viewing platform, pool and restaurants is an amazing piece of architecture. The view from the top is quite stunning. One could holiday there and not leave the area. Accommodation and casino, with shopping and restaurants right at your fingertips. But not for the person who doesn’t like waiting in line to check in and check out. There are 2,500 rooms in the three towers compared to 100 where we’re staying.
This is what we look at, directly from our hotel!
Look at these solar driven cooling fans on our walk.
You can see our hotel with swimming pool on top across the bay beside the circular tower. There are so many new buildings and great design and architectural achievements in and around the bay, other than the ones you generally hear about like Marina Bay Sands, the Durian, the Lotus and the Gardens by the Bay. None of these buildings were here last time we were in Singapore, except for the waterside low red roof quay beside our hotel and the old GPO, across the road from the bay, that is now The Fullerton Hotel.
Chinatown was calling for some favourite hawker food and a walk to view some older style living of Singapore. Chicken rice, Char Kway Teow and Beehoon were among the favourites, although Keith and Lil also enjoyed Oyster fritters.
After our Hawker lunch in Chinatown, we were looking for Temple St to find the durian sellers as Keith was interested to try durian or at least durian ice cream. We always find something on our way to sidetrack our destination. This time it was Ann Siang Hill with a peaceful, beautiful, small resting park at its peak and an obligatory drink at Coriander Leaf across the road from seeking out Operation Dagger (a mixologist Bar). Keith did find his durian ice cream and actually said he didn’t mind the flavour. Well he did say it tasted like onions. Lil and I confirmed such.
Into a taxi we pile and head off to Kampong Glam to see another mural by Yip Yew Chong. This one was on the wall outside a coffee roasters. The area was interesting and an obvious Muslim community with a large Mosque. We seek out some flip flops for Lil, as she has a blister on her foot. She also kindly bought me a fan, while David and Keith are harassed outside the shop by an Indian man who thought they look like great prospective purchasers of jewellery and precious stones. I stocked up on Tiger Balm.
Walking back towards Raffles, one can’t help but continually be amazed by the new architecture, of office buildings, residential and shopping centres.
The Long Bar at Raffles was old worldly and beautiful and the Singapore Sling, very refreshing, but it didn’t come up to the standard taste-wise of the one I had at the Manhattan Bar. Peanut shells all over the floor, very interesting in a city that doesn’t tolerate litter etc. Raffles accommodation is still being renovated and not open to the public, until next month.
The shopping at Raffles is also olde worldly, but a few souvenirs were purchased.
The evening took us back to Operation Dagger for mixologist cocktails, that included chocolate, coconut, beetroot, pear and other interesting ingredients. Very interesting drinks, but no food so across the road to Coriander Leaf for dinner. The first shared dish, noodle salad took Keith’s breath away and blew his head off because of the chilli! It snuck up on one and made us all cough a little. Our other choices were enjoyable.
Tuesday 2 July
It’s very steamy when we walk out of our air conditioned, beautiful hotel. We walked the opposite way around the bay to yesterday. Our glasses fog up as soon as we walk out the door of the hotel!
There are many tourists mingling in Merlion Park, but taking a photo from an elevated position doesn’t represent the crowded area.
We set off on our walk to Clarke Quay with a visit to The Fullerton Hotel across the road from Merlion Park. It had previously been the GPO, amongst other purposes, including Japanese Headquarters during WWII, a hospital and government departments.
Of course a coffee break is always obligatory, as well as some window shopping.
No.1 mistake for the day was to stop at Tian Tian to have Chilli Crab and a BBQ whole fish. The tastes were fabulous, but the bill set us back somewhat. Accidentally chose the most expensive crab (well it was in the wrong tank). More fool me! I’ll have to starve myself for the next week to make up for the mistake!
No.2 mistake – Lil left her glasses at the restaurant. We were about a klm away at St Andrews church when she realised. She prayed for Devine intervention and ran back to cafe, collected her glasses and ran back in record time. Must have been a 2 klm sprint. She wouldn’t have even blown out a candle, what a trouper!
Photo below is of St Andrews, exactly where we were when Lil realised she had left her glasses at the restaurant.
Below is the CHIJMES Hall, used as the Church for the wedding in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ movie. The beautiful magical scene with the water flowing in the aisle. Wonder how many other couples have tried to replicate the scene after seeing it in the movie. We were unable to enter the chapel, so the photo was taken through a window.
Walking back towards our hotel we realise we’re following much of the Formula One race track. Safety barriers and seating stands are all in place ready for the race next week.
There was one obligatory stop on our walk back! A stop and photo shot of Lil under her maiden namesake street.
No.3 mistake – Gardens by the Bay after a beautiful dinner at Jade at the Fullerton Hotel (the old GPO Building). When one looks at the website for the Gardens, it says open from 9am to 2am, but aerial walk (skyway in the super tree grove), cloud forest, flower dome and conservatories were closed! To add insult to injury, there was a US Embassy Independence Day function in the gardens, which created a very long wait for a taxi. The air was still and the humidity was very high! There was much moaning and groaning, especially as David began taking us in the wrong direction to the taxi stand. The Gardens by the Bay will be high on the list for next visit.
Wednesday 3rd July
Today we say farewell to Singapore, well, that will be 5 to midnight departure to Amsterdam. We will make the most of our last day.
We were up pretty early to make the most of our final day in interesting Singapore. We hop in a taxi to Tiong Bahru Market and food centre NW of our accommodation. The market reminded us of fresh food markets in Penang, but were surprised that many of the fruit and veg were already packaged. Meat and seafood were laid out fresh. You have to hunt out this updated older style living in very modern Singapore.
The other attraction in the area were more Yip Yew Chong murals.
Taxi transport is very economical in Singapore. We returned to our hotel to rest up, complete packing our bags before the midday check out. As our flight to Amsterdam does not depart until 5 to midnight (as mentioned before), the hotel will kindly look after our luggage for as long as required.
We spend time browsing the shopping complex opposite our hotel, that appears to be shops for locals and money changers and realise we’re in close walking distance to a Hawker Food Hall that a taxi driver suggested was well worth visiting for local fare. The chicken rice was delicious! Lil is not feeling great, especially while in the Food Hall. It’s hot and the food smells are lingering and she feels like her coffee is going to come up. We eat quickly, leave and walk to Marina Bay Sands, to browse the shops and keep cool. Time flies by quickly and we stop for a tea and coffee at Bread Street (Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant).
The Fullerton Bay Hotel organised a people mover for the 4 of us and our luggage to be transported to Changi International Airport, where you can check in your Singapore Airlines luggage early at the Jewel Hotel. Feeling a little nervous about leaving luggage at a hotel in one country and anticipating it’s safe arrival halfway around the world in Amsterdam. At least we carry a change of clothes in on board luggage.
Jewel Hotel complex at Changi was a must do. Well! It’s foyer and waterfall are an amazing engineering masterpiece. Along with many name brand shops was a Mothercare shop! Our kids were dressed in English Mothercare clothes as babies, so new grandson Beau gets a Mothercare outfit! The other grand children are all too big now!
We decide to purchase a few hours in an Airport Lounge, so we can have showers, food and a couple of drinks. Not quite the Qantas Club, but okay. The chair is comfortable and we have wifi and the shower refreshing.
Although another night flight, Singapore to Amsterdam, we nap a little, have some rough weather bump us around for a period of time. All service stopped and stewards also had to sit and buckle up. Flying over The Netherlands is like looking down at a green quilt!
Our rental car at Schiphol airport was patiently waiting for us. Packed in and ready to go, we head out of Amsterdam to Oosterbeek, 104 klms from Schiphol Airport and a few klms further east to Arnhem.
Oosterbeek has a population of approximately 11,500 and sits on the northern bank of the lower Rhine River.
This was the area where the infamous Operation Market Garden took place during WWII. British 1st Airborne Division and Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade troops, along with the Dutch were trying unsuccessfully to stop Germany invading and taking the bridges that in turn prevented Britain to progress through Germany. Paratroopers were flown in to try to save the bridges, but they landed a few klms away and the Germans proved too strong.
The Airborne Museum at nearby Hartenstein explains Operation Market Garden very well and also honours the Resistance and their valuable efforts against the German Army who were progressively claiming the Netherlands. The building housing the Museum was the headquarters of the British 1st Airborne.
The parkland and beautiful fallow deer in the adjoining paddock to The Hartenstein Airborne Museum made for a peaceful feeling in a place of painful memories. The museum itself was very informative and allocated one floor to The Resistance.
It was all very very humbling. The Oude Kerk below, was founded in 12C and was a British stronghold during WWII and the house below was where the ‘Angel of Arnhem’ looked after many wounded. The Dutch Resistance played a substantial roll in the battles in this area.
We then travelled a short distance to Arnhem to view the John Frost Bridge and the Sabelspoort Gate, the only remaining gate of four from the medieval wall, the Presickhaeffs Huys medieval house and Maarten van Rossumhuis (also known as the Devil’s House) that has been the Town Hall since 1830.
The City of Arnhem dates back to 893 A.D. It now has a population of approximately 157,000. Arnhem was not built on the Rhine River. It arose on the location where the road between Nijmegen, Utrecht and Zutphen split. 7 streams provided the city with water and only when the flow of the Rhine was altered in 1530, was the city located on the Rhine. It’s situated only a few klms from the German border.
French occupied the town for a couple of years from 1672 and 1674 and again 1795-1813. Early in the 19th century the former fortifications were almost completely dismantled to give space for town expansion.
The first photo shows the bridge when housing was right down to the riverside, as it was during WWII. As many houses were destroyed during this time, they were demolished to become parkland and a walkway.
Walk through the Sabelspoort Gate (Sabre Gate), also known as the Eusebius Gate that was first mentioned in 1357 hence it’s considered to be when it was built, then turn back and look at it from inside what would have been the medieval walled city. Before WWII the gate was surrounded by medieval houses that were badly damaged during the war. They were demolished after Liberation in 1945 after the second battle of Arnhem.
We have a delicious open sandwich for lunch alongside the Korenmarkt square and diagonally opposite the Presickhaeffs Huys Medieval House to the right, and to the left, the House of Maarten van Rossum and the Sabelspoort Gate that we had walked through to enter the city.
The Korenmarkt is a public entertainment area just inside the Sabelspoort Gate. During the weekends it becomes a bustling market, music and entertainment square.
The Maarten van Rossumhuis has been the town hall since 1830. The satyrs in its Renaissance ornamentation earned it the name Duivelhuis (devil’s house).
The Presickhaeffs Huys Medieval House has a beautiful gate and is where merchants rented out vaults to store their wares.
Over lunch David and Keith told Lil and I about the Airborne at the Bridge Museum situated on the riverbank not far from where we had parked the car. Lil and I made a quick visit as we walked back to the car before walking alongside the Rhine to take photos of the John Frost Bridge. The very interesting Museum focuses on three individuals war experiences who fought and died during Operation Market Garden.
It was time to move on and head south towards Arcen. The roads are in great condition and not too busy, but there are many slip roads and our GPS seemed to be about 50m behind. Regardless, David was doing pretty well getting used to driving on the opposite side of the road to what we’re used to at home.
We had read about Kasteeltuinen Arcen Gardens 10 klms north of our Chateau accommodation for the night and thought, time permitted it may be a nice interlude after what we knew would have been a long and thought provoking day. After a few tense moments parking the car we leave David to find parking in the correct area.
The castle within the gardens was rebuilt in 1674 and the gardens restored after 1879 and again after 1988. The gardens are geometrical formal gardens around the house and a serpentine park on the fringes of the estate. The estate now accommodates garden exhibition grounds and model gardens. There is a large area of glasshouse with tropical plants. They were very beautiful formal gardens with 15 various themes, ponds, waterfalls and many picnic spots, over the extensive grounds. Most of the photos are on my camera and I will upload, when I can download them. There’s a garden shop and a lovely restaurant serving local produce and refreshments.
Bilderberg Chateau, Holtmuhle at Tegelen was our first overnight stop in The Netherlands, where we had pre booked dinner, bed and breakfast. The Chateau is a medieval castle. The waiter talked to us about any allergies and food dislikes, and proceeded to say “would we like to be surprised”? Of course we responded positively. The dinner was delicious as was buffet breakfast the following morning. We were so looking forward to lying down in a bed as it had been a long night and day.
Friday, 5th July
Today we travelled to Maastricht for the Andre Rieu concert. Maastricht has a very interesting history. It is a very old city with a variety of cultures making claims through time from the Celts, Romans, Vikings, Spanish and in more recent times the French have claimed it twice, so you can see a French influence around the city. After The Napoleonic era Maastricht became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815. It is the capital of Limburg Province, the largest in the Netherlands, with Maastricht having a population of approximately 123,000. We saw hills at long last some of which were in the distance and probably actually in Belgium.
We walk from our hotel in the suburbs on eastern side of the river, past the Maastricht Railway Station, turn left onto Stationsstraat that changes name to Wycker Brugstraat, as it gets closer to the Meuse River (Maas). We stop and have lunch at a charming cafe before crossing the river via the county’s oldest existing pedestrian bridge St Servatius, to the old city situated on the western bank of the Meuse River. We love these type of walks as you see exactly how people live in suburbia, not just the touristy icons.
The cafe, Bagels and Beans has a satirical sign for the toilets!
The streets are cobblestone and many cafes have seating outside facing the road, so you can people watch. There are many churches within a relatively small area, Basilica of Saint Servatius and Saint Jan’s, both side by side and on the edge of Virjthof square, that was already set up for the Andre Rieu concerts. Others being Sint Matthiaskerk, near the market, All Saints, Basilica of Our Lady and others including the one below with the tan facade that is actually a very large book shop (Boekhandel Dominicanen).
The city of Maastricht has a University founded in 1976. We’re sure this helps make the city vibrant and feel alive. Obviously when Andre has his concerts here in his home town, the population swells by quite a few thousand. Many people return to his concerts every year.
While walking through the old city we stumble onto Bischopsmolen Watermill, the oldest working watermill in Netherlands. The mill was built in the 7th century and had different functions through the years and during the 11th century it was given its current name when it ground malt for the Brewers’ Guild. In 2004 the mill and associated building were fully renovated and spelt flour is milled and the bakers prepare traditional bread and pies. It all looked amazing and such a lovely aroma!
The concert doesn’t begin until 9:00pm, as it’s open air in Vrijthof Square in the old city. A shuttle is arranged by the hotel to transport us to the concert and back. Andre Rieu and his orchestra were exceptional. The concert ended with a guest appearance of the Village People! Yes YMCA! well worth seeing Andre in his home town. Must have been 15 past midnight when the concert finally finished.
Saturday 6th July
We slept in today and did some house keeping, including finding a local laundromat. During the afternoon we drove to Fort Sint Pieter and Maastricht underground tunnels.
As we imagined the Fort was situated in an elevated position for viewing the enemy. Elevated positions in The Netherlands are few and far between in the low land country. The hexagonal fort with a dry moat was built for military purposes and is filled with tunnels and caves. The second photo below, show the original and the second iteration of the fort, as it stands now. A level higher than original.
When standing at the top of the fort, looking north, Belgium is about 30 klms to your left and Germany is about 15 klms to your right. The area around Maastricht on a map, looks like an appendage on southern Netherlands.
Underground tunnels near the Fort are are very dark, cold and extensive, as you can see on the map below. We totally relied on our guide with the lantern and the few in our group that were issued with torches. For those that were interested our guide tested our senses on a 50m walk in soundless pitch black dark. We were required to hold touch the person in front with one hand and the wall of the tunnel with the other hand. It was very strange and a little scary.
Limestone was cut out for kilometres, just like and ants nest! The tunnels are quite high and were cut with precision to prevent collapsing, as many of the tunnels are under the Fort. During one of the French invasions, the commander had a bright idea to blow up the Fort from directly underneath. We were taken to the canyon created from their unsuccessful efforts to blow up the fort. The French soldiers perished as the impact of the explosion went straight into the surrounding tunnels.
Fossils of prehistoric life have been discovered during excavations and an artist has painted an impression of what life may have looked like many years ago.
The local council has allowed other artists to create paintings to make the caves/tunnels more interesting for visitors.
As we emerge from the tunnels our guide informs us that the mansion we can see near the church across the fields is Andre Rieu’ home.
Late in the afternoon on our way back from the Fort and Caves, on the edge of town, we stop (well parking was problematic, I guess because it was a beautiful Saturday) to view Helport (Hell’s Gate) and a section of the ancient city wall. A lovely stroll alongside parklands and the imposing gate with two towers emerges. It was built during the 1230s and is the oldest gate in the Netherlands.
Sunday, 7 July
We made a decision the previous night, over dinner to head directly to Ghent in the morning.
Ghent is a port in northwest Belgium at the confluence of the Leie (Lys) River and Scheldt Rivers. It is the Capital and largest city of the East Flanders Province, Flemish Region. It has a population of approximately 262,220 people. People in the region speak German, Flemish or French.
Missionary Bishop St Amand founded Ghent in 630 and decided it was the perfect place to found St Bavo’s Abbey. Through the Middle Ages Ghent grew into one of the most important cities in Western Europe. The wealth came for sheep, wool and cloth. During the 14th century Ghent’s wealth lay in the hands of around 40 merchant families, who preferred the French king to the Count of Flanders. The people of Ghent became restless and rebellious and Ghent’s importance in Western Europe diminished. The steadfast residents continued to rebel against their sovereigns and oppressors and in the 16thC, Calvinist insurgents established the Ghent Republic and the first Ghent University. The city lost its port because of silt and later as a reprisal for its rebellious nature, but Ghent always found a way to continue trading by sea.
Late in the 18thC, when the Industrial Revolution came across the Channel from England, it was the same courage and cunning that made Ghent the first industrialised city in Europe. Ghent reclaimed its leading position but remained a city of troublemakers: as a protest against the impoverished conditions in which labourer lived and worked in the 19thC, the first modern trade unions and socialist movements were founded in Ghent.
The 1913 World Fair gave Ghent a facelift, demonstrating the city’s modernity and passionate belief in progress to the outside world. Buildings were renovated, the new railway station was constructed and squares were build or refurbished. Ghent suffered during the two world wars and the Great Depression. However by the mid 20thC it had once again continued to develop into the compact, authentic vibrant city we saw during our visit. Ghent has the largest student population in Belgium with over 70,000 students who help give the historical city a dynamic and lively feeling. The city hosts many festivals throughout the year, bringing people together from all over the world. UNESCO has recognised Ghent as a “Creative City of Music”.
Now this was supposed to be a pretty straight forward journey, and it was until the last few klms. We turn left near the Ghent railway station and it still feels correct. We realise we’re very close to the centre of the city, as trams and tramlines are frequent and in full view. We do know our hotel is right in the city alongside the Leie River (Lys River). It all feels correct, but our GPS kept leading to a detour sign. After David, out of frustration, went wrong way down a one way street with a tram coming towards us, we parked in an underground car park, that we had passed a couple of times on our detour. We left the bags in the car and decided to seek out the hotel on foot. We had been notified about no Hotel parking when we booked and looked on a map for close car parks. Little did we know the car was in the closest car park. We also knew we had to cross the river.
As we walk from the car, we notice this amazing bread van with freshly baked goodies.
We walk across the river on a beautiful old cobblestone bridge and wander alongside the river, actually straight past our hotel, pictured below. Guess it looked too majestic to be a hotel / old Post Office. Something drew Lil and my attention to the the little courtyard below and lo and behold on the pillar on the entry gate, there was a brass plaque with the inscription “1898 The Post”. So up the stairs we go to confirm bookings and make sure we were actually parked in the closest car park! Yay all good!!
Shopping and getting our bearings were in order after checking in and settling down. There were so many people around in the narrow streets because, unbeknownst to us, it was once a month shopping Sunday, yippee! The road detours made sense once we found out the reason. Its pedestrianised centre is known for medieval architecture such as St Bavos, 12thC Gravensteen castle and the Graslei, a row of guild halls beside the Lys River harbour. The heritage fronts of buildings have been preserved and make this a quaint and delightful city.
Coffee that came with hand made Belgium chocolates, what more could you wish for!
This was the Cobbler Bar at our Hotel that we frequented every evening for a cocktail or nightcap. Our fave Barman served us most nights. The room also doubled up as The Kitchen for breakfast, where we ate breakfast on our last morning. Other mornings we found a beautiful organic breakfast eatery on the street side of the hotel.
Oh man, there were some delectable indulgences in Ghent. I could have eaten one of these amazing ice creams every day, I only managed two. Hand made, while you waited. Choose your flavour ice cream block, vanilla, chocolate or raspberry, a triangle of wafers joined with caramel stuck on your ice cream, then choose your chocolate coating milk or dark and then choose your decoration eg. freeze dried raspberries, nuts, or crumbed biscuit. YUM!
Other than the delicious chocolate, Ghent also produces cuberdens or ‘neusekes’ (noses). Flavoured firm outer with jelly inside.
We familiarise ourselves with the hotel bar, and library, seek out a restaurant for dinner and get a great nights sleep in a beautiful hotel.
Monday 8 July –
Walking Tour of Ghent – We meet our guide at The Backpackers Hostel across the road from our hotel, at the end of the bridge for the 10am tour. Our guide is a very well informed migrant to Ghent, who continues to study the language to enable him to secure a better job.
He spoke to us about the history of Ghent as I mentioned earlier in this blog and walks us around the city, pointing out and talking about the history behind all the points of interest.
He points out the Guild houses that were restored prior to the 1913 world expo, Graslei and Korenlei, one of which is now the Marriott hotel with the ultra modern hotel behind the old facade.
The building with Nestor (who was turned to stone because he peed near a picture of Jesus) above the doorway, that is now a Winery – 2nd photo below. He tells us about how the area had been a tannery and how the water in the river was smelly and revolting.
3rd photo below is of the old Fish Market, with Neptune keeping watch over the rivers Scheldt(man) and Lys (woman). The building was built in 1689 and has had various uses over the last century e.g. tyre centre, car wash, and a bowling alley, but has been recently restored to house the Ghent Tourist Office. The square, Vrijdagmarkt, outside the old Fish Market was an arena for public executions, and there is a light in this square that flashes for a minute when a baby is born. Also in the square is a prominent statue of Jacob van Artevelde, known as The Wise Man, 1290-1345 who was born in Ghent of a wealthy family. He rose to prominence during the Hundred Year’s War. Later in life, 1337 he entered politics, setting up important alliances with Bruge and Ypres in order to show neutrality to the French and English. Flemish trade and industry flourished under his semi-dictatorial rule. 1345, it is rumoured that his recognition of the son of Edward III, the Black Prince, as count of Flanders, suspicion of embezzlement and the excommunication by the Pope caused unrest in Ghent and Jacob was killed by an angry mob!
Enjoy life! 