Tuesday August 6

Museum Marathon, Walking, Concert

This morning we got up and headed right out to see as many of the places featured on our 3-day museum card as we could.  We started at the Groeningemuseum, which had nothing to do with the Simpsons.  That took a good hour to go through, with lots of paintings from medieval through modern.

Next we headed down towards the canal to visit the Gentpoort-one of the old towers from the city wall.  We had some fun watching the long canal ferries go through a raising bridge.

K. Astridpark-On Route to Gentpoort

On Gentpoort

Canal Ship and Raising Bridge

We then walked along the canal to the Sint-Janshuismolen windmill.  It closes from 12:30-1:30 for lunch, and they apparantly don't like to let anybody up after 12:00 as it interferes with going to lunch, so we had to wander back to both the Gezellemuseum (art) and the Vokskundemuseum.  The second was a very fun arts and crafts museums featuring cobbler shop, barrelmaker shop, classroom, etc.  We couldn't find any place to lunch, so wandered back to the windmill and then climbed up to go in and visit there.

Classroom-In Volkskundemuseum

Cooper-In Volkskundemuseum

In Sint-Janshuismolen

 It was late for lunch now.  We walked back close to our apartment to pick up some sandwiches, then went back to our apartment to enjoy them with coffees, chocolates and Krieks.  Then we headed back out and looked into the Gruuthesemuseum and the Stadhuis.

Fireplace in Gruutheusemuseum

View From Porch-Gruutheusemuseum

Stairwell Unicorn-Gruutheusemuseum

This evening we headed off the Sint-Salvatorskathedraal (about 3 minute walk around the corner) to watch a concert with Matthias Schlubeck on the panflute and Ignace Michiels on the pipe organ.  It was awesome. 

Total today-15.61 km