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The nostalgia of violence.

I came across a theory that American Football was born out of the desire of a younger generation to emulate the bravery of their parents. The US Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865 and wreaked a…

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Bistrot de la Cour

The photo above shows the bistro on a busy day. I was almost the only customer when I arrived. It was late as lunch goes in France, and some diners were just finishing up. I was delighted they even…

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Charleroi

As I was paying my bill in Ghent the guy on the reception desk wished me well on my travels and asked where I was going next. I said “Charleroi” and his expression was comical. His face…

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The Pig Election

I have written about the Pig War, the Pig and Potato War, the Pork Mutiny, the legendary fight over Mac da Thó’s pig, and the Bay of Pigs invasion. Pigs are clearly a source of great conflict…

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Saint Bavo’s Art

While most art tourists who visit Saint Bavo’s are here to see the Mystic Lamb they also benefit from a wealth of other art that is on display in the Choir of the Cathedral, which is behind a…

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Saint Bavo’s Ghent

This post has some shots of the inside of Saint Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent. A good place to start is the sign above requesting visitors to respect the House of the Lord. You may not be Christi…

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Ghent Cathedral Square

The medieval heart of Ghent is very dense in tall spires. Saint Michaels, a 15th century late Gothic church is just over the far side of the river Leie blocked in the photo above by the 13th centur…

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Fortunes of War

When the American Civil War broke out in April 1861 a lot of well minded patriots joined up to fight what they thought was the good fight. Behind these men, lurking in the shadows, were the men who…

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The Ghent Altarpiece

This statue in the photo above is situated in the Maaseikplein to the rear of St. Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent. It celebrates the two brothers; Hubert and Jan van Eyck who created the 1432 Ghent…

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Gravensteen: Ranged Weapons

The collection in the armory at Gravensteen contains a number of ranged weapons. This crossbow above is a work of art. Beautifully inlaid with ivory and provided with a winding mechanism for cockin…

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Gravensteen: Polearms, Hammers and Axes

In the medieval world peasants were not permitted to carry swords, and in any case could not afford them. To use a sword effectively you need to train with it. When peasants were ordered into battl…

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Gravensteen: Swords

This case of swords above is in the Residence rather than the armoury. In the Castle of the Counts in Ghent they spread out some of the collection to try to provide some colour for the otherwise ba…

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Gravensteen: The Armour

I did not intend to have a mobile phone in the ghost hands of a suit of armour. Glass boxes are hard to photograph. This is a suit of cavalry armour which you can tell by the wide spacing of the hi…

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Dungeons and dark deeds

This post is some photographs of the rooms inside the Gravensteen in Ghent. The photo above shows a tall vaulted room supported on columns in the Residence, with a massive fireplace. Even though th…

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Gravensteen

The Castle of the Counts in Ghent translates more literally as Counts’ Stone. Graaf is a count and Steen is a Stone. Originally a medieval stone keep raised in 1180 by the Count of Flanders, …

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The Battle of Gravensteen

Ghent is a University City, and university students are well known for pranks and protests. The greatest and most famous of these in Belgium was the 1949 Battle of Gravensteen. When the government …

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Zenon

In my last post I ended my wild ride from Aix to Ghent at the Castle of the Counts. They control entry to the castle using timed tickets so I had some time to kill before I could go in. The square …