So “yay” to Snuffel Hostel in Brugge for somehow pulling off the feat of being a party hostel where you can also sleep when you want. They had a band playing, but only until about 10, and their bar was packed but you never really heard it.
“Nay” to the two girls who came in late at night and started asking me “why are you sleeping?” and other important questions before passing out, at which point one began snoring like a narcoleptic grandfather.

Oh, by the way, I’m sticking with one spelling for each, maybe not the one you’d use, but it’s a right one. They seem to take the h off and spell It Gent here, but I like the h.
Ghent’s centre is a fair distance from the train station, but the city is well serviced by its trams and, in no time, I was passing through the historic centre. First thing I saw was a castle called “Gravesteen”, the “Castle of the Counts”. Figured it was as good a place to start as any.
Now, it’s not uncommon for a site like a hall or castle to have some kind of art exhibit in its halls. Gravesteen, which provides some great views and eerie interiors, had a display called Departures and, no, it wasn’t all about my favourite show.

Stopped for a lunch of Belgian fries with samurai mayo, a spicy mayo, before heading down to the canals to get the typical Ghent photos. Meandered over some bridges, in and out of squares, up another belfry , which provided better views of Ghent than this morning’s did of Brugge AND an elevator!!! Got my vistas, then made my way down to a massive church.
The church was actually St. Bavo’s Cathedral, a wonderful structure whose insides could easily rival to any church in Rome. The highlight, which I almost didn’t do because it cost 4 Euro, is The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, a massive alter piece that was painted by the Van Eck brothers. The reason I almost didn’t see it is because I was having trouble justifying paying money to see one painting. However, once you go in, you are given a free and very thorough audio guide, and it really is a beautiful work, so when in Ghent…

It’s not a “if I had to pick one” situation, as Ghent is an easy day trip, and so is Brugge. It’s more of a “glad I made time for it.”
Tram ride back to the station was quick and painless, as was the ride to the airport where THEY HAD MY LUGGAGE!!! Of course, now I’ll have to pay to check it with Aer Lingus, but hey, I won’t be living out of a smaller backpack for a week. So, win!
Off to Dublin!