So How Long Does It Take To Build A Cathedral?

St. Bavo, Ghent, Belgium

On the way home from Bruges, we stopped in the town of Gent (Ghent), Belgium.  We knew it as a university town but beyond that, we knew little.  It was a chance to see another city on the way home.  Like all the places I've been so far, this was another treat.  While there's a lot of resurrection work going on in the city, the architecture of old is very evident.  2012 will be a time to really visit this city's center once the project is complete.

We decided to go into Saint Bavo Cathedral (pictured above).  This cathedral was built in various stages with additions over the centuries.  Evidence of the wooden beginnings of the structure are evident in the crypt and date back to the year 942!  The cathedral was considered complete in 1569, a mere 500 years later.  Inside, was the real treat.  Now this cathedral is not like the gleaming cathedral I saw in Antwerp.  This one is dark, damp and shows the discoloration of withstanding centuries of time.  Yet, it is the most remarkable cathedral I've seen to date.  The details in this place were just incredible.  Unfortunately, pictures inside were not allowed.  I know my words won't do the place justice but I was awed by the magnitude of St. Bavo.

There's much to see in Gent.  However, having gotten there about midday, we stopped for a Waffle drizzled with chocolate and a coffee following our visit to Saint Bavo and strolled the streets some more.  On our journey, I caught a glimpse of an alley that was covered in artful graffiti.  Naturally, I stopped to see if I wanted to photograph the alley.  Well, this was a long alley and it was covered with art.  The further I walked, the more art I saw.  The alley went all the way through to the next street and it was covered with graffiti all the way.  It was street art at its best.

Graffiti Alley, Ghent, Belgium