Thursday. This morning we went to the Frites Museum. The museum tells the story of the fry from its humble beginnings as a wild potato in South America to the fry of today which the Belgians claim they invented. It has been discovered that potatoes were cultivated 8000 years ago. Potatoes were at one time, just like chocolate, reserved for the very rich. Then of course, they were food for the very poor. The museum was very interesting. We learnt that potatoe juice is very good to drink if you have a tummy upset and is also very good for gout and arthritis. You finish off your visit to the Museum with freshly made Frites and mayo or mustard.

We visited Gent today, a beautiful medieval city with cobblestoned streets and crisscrossed with canals. The historical centre is an easy walk with all the sites close together. There is the Castle of the Counts, an imposing medieval fortress right in the middle of the city. Nearby is St Michaels Bridge where you can stand and see all three towers in a row.

The magnificent Belfry with it’s golden dragon atop and four gold topped turrets towers over the city. The carillion once announced important visitors to the city and executions. Now it chimes every ½ and on the hour and also announces festivals throughout the year.

St Bavo’s Cathedral is Gent’s oldest church. It has magnificent stained glass windows and it’s interior is mostly marble and very dark oak. Lot’s of statues and lavish Tombs of Gent bishops. There’s a Rubens painting and also The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, a famous painting I haven’t heard of.

We weren’t able to see inside St Nicholas’s church. It is undergoing renovation which I later read began in 1960!! And they are still at it.