Tulip Time Cruise of the Netherlands and Belgium on the AMAWaterways Amalegro

By Linda Garrison, About.com Guide

Unlike in Antwerp, the Amalegro could not dock in downtown Ghent (Gent in Flemish). All river ships stopover at the industrial section of the city, and we rode a shuttle bus about 10 minutes into town. Ghent is Belgium's third largest city, with about 250,000 residents. It is a major university center of Belgium. Like Antwerp, Ghent is on the Scheldt River, but further upstream at the point where it joins with the Leie River. In medieval times, Ghent was Europe's largest cloth producer, using wool imported from England.

Ghent has numerous canals, but not as many as Bruges or Amsterdam. The early April weather was sunny and warmer than previous days on our cruise tour, but cold enough for my stocking cap. We had a guided walking tour, following by an hour or so of free time. On the walking tour, our guide discussed the history of Ghent and pointed out the city hall, various churches, the Gravensteen castle, cloth hall, meat market, and St. Baaf's Cathedral. Mom and I used the free time to sit down and enjoy another Belgian waffle and a hot drink.

The downtown area was very quiet in the early morning, but had perked up by the time we returned to the ship for lunch. We enjoyed the guide and the walk a lot. I hadn't heard much about Ghent prior to this visit, but was glad we went. The old town is quaint and picturesque, but not nearly as busy as nearby Bruges.

After lunch back on the ship, many of us took the optional bus tour to Bruges. Others chose to ride the free shuttle back into old town Ghent.

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