On the 3rd day of my stay in Gent, first, I headed to the Belfry of Gent near my hotel. The belfry built during the 13th century and is one of three medieval towers in Gent, and in the Middle Ages it was the symbol of independency and welfare of the city.

By the way, breakfast wasn't included in the hotel charge and my breakfast was a pack of biscuits....

The Belfry of Gent is 91m tall and it consists of 6 floors.
There is a modern elevator but you have to climb a narrow spiral staircase for the first and last levels.

There are several interesting attractions such as large and small bells and a dragon which used to be put on the roof of the tower, etc.

The modern elevator doesn't match this kind of the medieval tower.

For my health, I used the stairs to get form the bottom of the tower to the viewing platform!

This is a photo of a huge, real bell which is still used to this day on the top floor.

The view from the top is excellent and makes for a beautiful photo opportunity. Well worth a visit!

Wonderful scenery from the viewing platform. The spiral staircases and viewing platforms are quite narrow, so I recommend that you visit the tower early in the morning to avoid the crowds.

There is a well-preserved medieval castle wtih a fearsome name near St. Bavo's Cathedral(Sint-Baafskathedraal). Its name is the Castle of Gerald the Devil(Geraard de Duivelsteen)!
There are various stories and rumors about the origin of the fearsome name. For example, it comes from a family head, Gerald nicknamed "the devil" due to his dark appearance and mood. Another rumor is that Gerald married 5 times and killed his wife every time he got married, but three are many others.
Unfortunately, this attractive castle is not open for the public at the present time.

There is a monument of the van Eyck brothers, who are the painters of a piece called, "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb(Het Lam Gods)", at the back of the St.Bavo's Cathedral.
The "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" which consists of 12 panels is a world-famous religious painting and people says that it's a must-see art work when you visit Gent!
Though, I didn't see it. That's because the painting is now in restoration from 2012 to 2017 and only a part of the set of paintings is open to the public. But...actually, it is just an excuse. The truth is that I have absolutely no interest in art works!

Today my first sip is "Rochefort 6 (ABV 7.5%)" at the Gouden Mandeke.

It is a reddish brown colored beer, and it has a lightly sweet taste and bitter flavor with a fruity aroma. It's a smooth beer which goes down easy.

I met a friendly Belgian by chance, Yo-san, at a beer cafe. He was actually the owner of it. I was surprised to find out he was fluent in Japanese!
We were able to talk a lot and it was an enjoyable experience.
Additionally, we promised that we would go out for a dring that night. Really looking forward to it!