Eeeeeexcellent! (or, Belgium, Part 2)

I just couldn't help but think of Monty Burns when I saw this sarcophagus of some saintly soul in St. Baaf's Cathedral in Ghent.


Over the next couple days, I will share a few sights from our recent Belgium trip. Today's stop is Ghent, which is full of great architecture.


I like these stair-steppy buildings, especially when there is a nice background like a blue sky. And the white spheres were just a great addition.


Ghent also has some nice museums, here you can see Jeannette admiring a two-handed sword that is taller than she is. I think she is considering how nice that would have made her halloween costume a few years ago when she was Xena.


In another part of the museum, there was a guillotine, the preferred capitol punishment of the rich & famous (the poor people got slow, agonizing and humiliating death sentences). The descriptions of the punishments and torture that went on in the dungeon of Ghent's castle over the years was pretty creepy, and helps me understand why the founders of the US included that no cruel & unusual punishment clause in the bill of rights. (And I don't think this happened only in Ghent, I am sure it happened all over Europe, they are just brave enough to talk about it in Ghent).


Yep that's me, and a one of the many flags flying at the castle in Ghent. If I had been thinking, I would have posed like the beast on the flag.


The lovely Ghent skyline, as viewed from the castle. Interesting how every European skyline has at least 3 cranes visible at any time (I count at least 6 in this one)


The Puppetry of the Penis, the Ancient Art of Genital Origami. For some reason, I didn't see many ads for plays like this in the US, especially Colorado Springs.

OK. Now you have seen Ghent. I'll take you to Brugge or the beach tomorrow!