River from the River Leie in Ghent
When I thought of visiting Belgium, I was thinking old medieval towns and I have pretty much got that. However, I was surprised to know that I would be visiting a few water towns. These towns are something like Amsterdam which has strong affinity with water. Bruges in West Flanders is already a good example of this place and I was very impressed with it. Bruges is more like a museum town, a town which is permanently stuck in time because of tourism. Ghent is another water town, but the canals aren’t as pervasive as they were in Bruges. Unlike Bruges, Ghent is not a museum town as it is didn’t have enough fame to force itself to stay a medieval town forever.
Old Buildings By the River Leie in Ghent
A lot of the old structures are still there no doubt, but there are also a lot of new developments. One of the more picturesque areas in Ghent is the view of old buildings along the river Leie. Unfortunately, the river doesn’t seem to be that clean. Kind of difficult to keep it clean with the large number of people living here. At least the tourism boost helps keep the cleanliness of the area. I can imagine how the view here can be a postcard photo of Ghent. It is a very beautiful town without the mass tourism. I think I am beginning to understand my friend’s love for this place.
[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/RiverLeie.kmz} zoom=19]