After leaving Kinderdjik in the Netherlands, we drove to Ghent where we would spend the night before moving on to Bruges. It was a little disconcerting when we arrived because the power was out at our hotel and the parking garage was pitch black so it was hard to see exactly where the hotel entrance was located. Everyone was walking around the garage using their phones as flashlights. We found the elevator and the lights came on just as we were trying to figure out where the stairs were located. I happily pushed the elevator button and stepped in, but Mike was a little more reluctant since the power had only just come on and the thought of getting stuck on the elevator if the power went out again was making him pretty apprehensive. I convinced him to get in and we indeed made it up to the lobby level without any issues.
Once in the lobby, we joined a large queue of people waiting to check in. We were told that since the power had been out for 3-4 hours our room may not be ready as the cleaning staff had not been able to service the rooms entirely. We waited in the lobby about 45 minutes before our room was ready. Mike ventured out for a few minutes while I waited but the wind was blowing really hard outside and it was getting dark so we opted for room service and went to bed early.
We had arranged for a city tour with a guide from WithLocals and were very pleased with our guide Benedikt. He was entertaining, knowledgeable, and friendly and just nice to spend time with. We saw historic sites, learned local legends, tried some Belgian chocolate, and learned about the different guild houses along the river bank. He took us into St. Bavo's cathedral and explained the various panels of the famous altarpiece. The price of the admission to see the altarpiece was not included in our tour so we viewed that after Ben said goodbye.
Unfortunately Mike was bitten by a dog as we crossed the plaza on our way to the church. He didn't even look at the dog, I don't know why it bit him. A smaller dog companion barked at us and I guess the larger dog just reacted to that. I also have no idea why the little dog barked. The dog's owner was very apologetic and stayed around while Ben found a place for Mike to go and have a better look to be sure he wasn't actually bleeding. Luckily he had thick cotton pants on and the dog's tooth scraped his skin rather than penetrating it. I was sitting outside with Ben and wondering if our travel insurance would cover rabies vaccine but thankfully we didn't have to find out. Ben was quite upset by the incident too.
Once we left the cathedral we decided to have lunch and found a riverside table outside of a Marriott hotel on Korenlei. I had a delicious bowl of tomato soup and we also some very good chicken strips. We spent a leisurely lunch watching the boats go by and people-watching. After lunch we got the car and headed to Bruges for our next stop.
