We ride along a river today, with the wind at our backs, which makes the ride very pleasant.
Whenever we chat with someone about bike touring, they are surprised that we do not have e-bikes, and then they are impressed. We meet an older British couple in Dendermonde who are touring, he on an e-bike and she on a normal bike. Bravo! We see a number of bike touring groups in Dendermonde and they all have e-bikes. If they allow folks to ride and enjoy themselves, go for it.
Fries are a big thing in Belgium, and the Netherlands, so we are always on the lookout for fry shops. And the fries are delicious, cut from potatoes just before they are cooked, big and chunky. A large dollop of ketchup and I am set.
Wandering the streets in Ghent we walk by at least five churches. Huge churches. Ghent was a prosperous trade and religious centre in medieval times, thus there was money to build these massive structures. There is also Gravensteen Castle, the castle of the Counts, built of limestone, in the 11th century, and also impressive.
Murray and I both comment today how our legs like riding better than walking. After our ride here my legs feel fine, but after a long walk my legs are aching and I have to lay on the bed for a rest.
Most hotels offer breakfast, but it costs anywhere from 15 to 20 Euro each. That’s expensive for breakfast. Due to my food issues and not agreeing with the cost, we are eating picnic breakfasts in our room. Murray eats a bun or two with peanut butter. I eat a couple of gluten free WASA crackers, ham or salami and an orange or some blueberries, a total cost of maybe 5 Euro. On ride days, we eat the same thing for lunch too. It’s not exciting but, as my trainer says, it’s just fuel. Every day we shop for the few items we need for the next day. We eat well for supper which I usually get to pick – Thai, sushi, burgers, the occasional pizza or pasta.
Tomorrow, we have tickets to see “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb”, which is housed inside St. Baafskathedral. It is an important piece of art for its detail, use of oils and symbolism. I learned about it many years ago in an art history class and have wanted to see since then.
We took our first walk through Ghent today. It very old and the history is very well preserved. There are newer buildings for sure but a good portion of the very old ones are standing and still in use. At least it appears that way. Checking out some of the construction I would say the requirement is that the facade be kept, the building behind can be demolished and a new building attached. Sort of sleazy but I think it would be hard to upgrade the 11thC electrical up to today’s standards. Anyway the city is fun to walk through even dodging the multitudes of other tourists.