Day Trip to Ghent

Train travel is smooth and we were soon in the heart of Ghent (after a taxi ride as we were unclear on the bus directions from the train station). We found a great folk museum which had a lot about the blending of earlier pagan beliefs with Catholic religion in relation to the stages of life from birth to death.

the bridal veil was originally used to disguise the bride so as to make her unrecognizable for witches...
Upon entering the new house, the bride was carried over the threshold..around the chimney crook...The chimney was seen as the residence of the household genii. By letting the bride look into the chimney or by leading her around the crook, one presented her to those household genii...
To prevent the dead person from carrying off domestic happiness, locks of hair and small bits of the nails of hands and feet were taken away and kept in the family.

This cathedral had a wall repaired with modern block and windows.
Some old houses were in evidence but much of the streets of the town could have passed for the Victorian looking streets in San Francisco.
Axel woke up half way through the folk museum and was playing in the yard after a snack. He found that crab apples looked good when floated in a puddle.
Then on to the castle. This castle was never a pretty place. The gray grim foreboding look was cultivated as the people of Ghent were quite rebellious and were forever having to be beaten, tortured and threatened to stay in line. Apparently it did not help much as room after room in the castle had to be turned into a spare torture room.

Axel liked that strollers had to be left behind and he had to climb up many of the stairs.
William is in line for the guillotine.
Water boarding was one of the routine torture methods.
Up against the wall, Axel.
Look for William up against the far wall.
We finished up our trip at Sint Baafs Cathedral mainly to see the Mystic Lam by van Eyck.
This is just the center panel of a huge altar screen that is painted front and back.