A fun fact about Brussels, Belgium is that the city is bi-lingual. Half of the population speaks Dutch while the other half speaks French. With that said, Margaret and I were very impressed with ourselves that we were able to navigate a new city without speaking either of the languages. Luckily, we have some darn good map skills! During our mini trip to Brussels we visited the Mannequin Pis, which is the city mascot located near the Grand Place. We also went to The Museum of Musical Instruments. This museum was really enjoyable because with every instrument, we were able to plug in our headphones and listen to the sound the instrument produces. We heard instruments from all over the world like Tibet and Sweden – it was very interesting! We also visited St. Michael’s Cathedral, which is an absolutely gorgeous church near the museum area.
On Sunday, Margaret and I made the trip out to Gent, Belgium. Wow! Gent is a beautiful city! We visited St. Bavo’s Cathedral, which houses The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (also known as the Ghent/Gent Altarpiece) by Jan Van Eyck. My freshman year of college I studied this painting; never did I think I would have the opportunity to see such a significant piece of artwork. St. Bavo’s Cathedral is the most beautiful structure I have ever seen, words do not do it justice.
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| Saint Michael's Cathedral in Brussels - Candles we lit at Saint Bavo's - Saint Bavo's Cathedral in Gent |
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| Replica of the Gent Altarpiece at Saint Bavo's (you can't photograph the real one) |
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