Andy's Germany Adventure: Day 2, part 1

What is it about the Ghentenaars - the good people of Ghent - and spicy chicken wings? They seem to have chicken wings (or thighs or drumsticks) at the top of every menu. The art gallery cafe offered them 'as grandmother used to make'. Is it a tradition?

So, after a hearty breakfast of spicy chicken wings and scrambled eggs (!), I set off at 08:30 into the drizzle to see by daylight what the tourist brochure is pleased to call the 'towers district' (the daylight would catch me up a bit later). Oxford's tourist bureau need not worry, but the towers of St Bavo's cathedral, the Belfry and St Nicholas's church are close together and reasonably impressive (see pics). I went inside St Bavo's as they hold some interesting art works by the van Eyk brothers, Rubens and others. Unfortunately, the tourist brochure failed to mention that the van Eyks' "Worshipping the lamb of God" is displayed in an enclosed side-room (so they can charge you EUR 4 to look at it), and this room does not open until 10:30; so I didn't see it. I did see the Rubens, "St Bavo entering the cloister", which is on general display. I also visited the crypt, which contains a collection of historical church paraphernalia before collecting my car from the hotel and proceeding to the Citadelpark to visit the city museum for contemporary art (Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, SMAK) and the museum for fine arts (Museum voor Schone Kunsten, MSK).