Although wind and rain returned, we made it ok to the river Schelde where 8kms on we moored for the night.
Being rocked and bopped up and down by wind and tide we didn’t sleep much. It felt to me like being out at sea. A flock of seagulls held screeching discussions next to us on the pontoon. They didn’t stop arguing until late at night.
In the morning we found their slimy droppings all over our canapé.
We left early, at low tide. Having the rising tide behind us the Freshwater got up to 7 knots, which is very fast cruising for us.
Austin negotiated the many bends of the river with its treacherous sandbanks perfectly and we arrived at Ghent’s “Lindelei Yachthaven” by 2pm.
Here are some photos of our three days in Ghent:
The old city of Gent
St. Michaels Bridge- one of the many bridges in Ghent and inside Sint Baafs Cathedral, where the famous painting of the van Eyks brothers"The Admiration of the Mystic Lamb” is kept. Unfortunately its not permitted to photograph it.
Most bridges in town are floating swing bridges after a design of Leonardo Da Vinci. Today they are not being opened much anymore.
View from the top of Castle Gravensteen and some of the oldest houses along the Leie. When we arrived the yearly 10 day Music Festival had just finished and on the opposite side, not visible here, big cranes were demounting floating stages and constructions from the festival.
Lunch outside Groot Vleeshuis (the old meat house) shown below on the right.
The Belfry Tower has a the fire spitting dragon who protects the town since 1380 and also acts as a weathervane. This dragon had a turbulent history and has been replaced several times being affected by rust or like in WWII by bullet holes.
Two rivers, the Leie and the Schelde flow through Ghent connected by a small canal. On the confluence two figures can be seen diving into the waters from opposing sides, a man representing the Schelde, and a lady representing the Leie.
Ghent is very romantic at night and has lots of cosy restaurants and bars.
