Gent – 2 February 2015

It seems that the theme for today was art and writing that was on walls. The first few shots are from the train out of Brussels.

wall graffitti graffitti old wall

I finally figured out how to get decent shots on the moving train; I have a real camera that lets me set shutter speed. I set it to 1/500 of a second, and that worked fairly well.

train train train train train

Once I got to Gent, I really had no plans. Since most of the museums were closed on Monday, I decided to just walk to the historic center and take pictures of whatever caught my eye. First, a few shots from the train station.

e anseele gent station ceiling gent station ceiling gent station gent station statue

And now, with no particular organization (except chronological), the photos on the walk to the center.

gent gent buildings wall art gent park world war one monument gent park gent wall sculpture gent building statue gent building statue gent building statue gent smak statue gent building gent building gent building lion bridge view wall plaque colorful building buildings sint pieter church spires ad gallery dogs poster wall vooruit green bastards building dome skateboarder wall art wall art faces river shopping center gent zuid wall art mexican style

Axeswar Design was an interesting shop.

axeswar design axeswar design window axeswar design window

Yet more pictures...

statue seated man wall art wall art wall art fountain spire church old building church detail wall trompe le oeil castle flags building bust church clock wall art bridge view view from bridge

Gravensteen Castle

Although most of the museums were closed Monday, the Gravensteen Castle was open. Nice views, interesting exhibits.

gravensteen gravensteen sword gravensteen armor view from gravensteen view from gravensteen view through battle slit view through battle slit gravensteen view guillotine view down spiral stairs gravensteen hall gravensteen upper part gravensteen exterior

More of Gent

And now, pictures on the walk back to the train station.

old buildings under bridge under bridge engraving cannon vrijdag markt statue buildings building busts building statues building detail window art smiley face planters ceramic door handle with painted flower wall art wall art gent station clock

The track for the train back to Brussels was in a newer part of the station. I have never seen an escalator with the gearing visible before.

clear escalator gent station new part

Eddy Merckx

There is a metro station named after Eddy Merckx, the bicyclist, but the station itself has nothing about him except his name. It does have some weird art, though.

merckx merckx merckx

Signage

The metro has a display that shows where you are and where other trains on that line are. Very convenient for knowing how many more trains will be coming through (how long you have to wait is shown below the map).

signage subway positions

In Dutch, the Greek letter π is pronounced like the name of the letter P, hence this clever pun.

signage pi nuts closeup

How very true.

Quetzal Chocolate bar: “There's more to life than chocolate, but not right now”

I’m not sure if these signs help or hinder finding your way.

signage

The name means “To Follow”

signage a suivre

Bizarre art for a sandwich shop.

signage sandwich shop

Again, how very true.

signage dont act stupid

Various signs

signage food signage a pluss signage eat-a-ly restaurant signage zeiss vision store signage pho pho

This sign in the Brussels Midi station says, “The train of life is a little train that goes from mountains of boredom to hills of joy.” Another sign (which wouldn’t fit into the frame of the camera) said “Life is hard, but for the price you get one free trip around the sun every year.”

signage train of life

These signs about proper disposal of syringes are everywhere.

syringe disposal

Apparently this new form of Coca-Cola has been available in the US since November 2014, but I had never seen it before.

signage cola life