Gent (or Ghent) is an absolutely lovely city about an hour out of Brussels and a great place to try…read moreto get a taste of the Flemish culture in Belgium. Admittedly, we only had a few hours here and our tour was focused on going through the historical and/or touristy parts of the city, so we really only saw some of the older, interesting shops (ex. Tierenteyn-Verlent mustard shop) and the remaining medieval architecture.
One such spot was the 13th century Gothic Saint Bavo's Cathedral. This place is a must-visit as it is home to a lot of major art pieces, including the Ghent Altarpiece aka. The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, a majorly influential painting (or a series of paintings for a multi-panel altarpiece). If you're part of a tour group though, you're probably only going to get so much free time. For us, we had the option of visiting Saint Bavo's as part of our free time on top of trying to explore or return to the other places that were recommended. So for a quick place to pick up some souvenirs? Belgian Treasures is conveniently close one-stop souvenir shop a stone's throw from the cathedral (about 100 meters? It's right THERE).
Belgium Treasures itself is larger than you would think at first glance. While it initially seems like a single, narrow room, it's actually L-shaped with two entrances and really is a treasure trove. The more you dig, the more interesting things you'll find. From what I could tell, their wide variety encompasses most kinds of souvenirs you'll see in stores both here in Gent as well as in Brugge. And in doing price comparison, it's either better or more or less the same compared to other places. My mom bought a butterfly-flower print canvas bag that we later realized was for a VERY good price. She had also noted that there were a few women who absolutely stocked up on the smaller canvas bags (buying 4 to 7 in one go), which we realized was because that was probably the cheapest you could get. Everywhere else we went, the same bags were sold for much higher. Now really regrets not getting a few herself.
The lady who runs the place is super nice and speaks fluent English. As a result, we chatted with her about the area and local culture. For example, I asked her why cats are so prevalent among the souvenir items generally being sold in the area. This included this wooden ornament that caught my eye that I had a cat silhouette filled in with amber bits. Well, for one, apparently cats are just really that popular (she lived upstairs with her own cat). More interestingly though, she told us how there's this belief that, since cats are nocturnal, they protect the city during the nighttime. Hence, why the ornament consisted of a cat walking over the city while being surrounded by stars. For those that are interested, they also have a selection of other amber bits and wood ornaments in a variety of shapes, including angels, the city and canal scenery, and Saint Bavo's Cathedral. But after hearing that story, I was pretty stuck on the cat one. The one I got has "Gent" cut into it, but you can also find the exact same ornament but with "Brugge" cut into it in Brugge.
Admittedly, I wasn't initially very interested in souvenir shopping in Belgium. Besides chocolate, our tour guides said Belgium was very famous for their textiles and many shops reflected that. Additionally, a lot of the aesthetic, patterns, styles, and designs to be a bit grandmotherly to me. Don't tell my mother, because in addition to the canvas bag, she also got a silk toilet roll holder (you hang it near the toilet and it holds extra toilet rolls), cloth kitchen baskets (the kind you can tie into shape), and another item that I'm not actually sure about. However, while I was leaving, one of the lace items on display outside (a fan) caught my eye and I found I really liked the pattern. So going back, I actually started digging around the shop and WOW. There are just so many small things tucked away here and there, I almost didn't find the fans at all. And then as I was browsing, I only found the fire-colored fan because I knocked over a few of the others, it was just that deeply buried. Oops.
Great prices, a friendly storeowner who's willing to chat or explain, and a wonderful selection. Overall, the Belgian Treasure is a great place for a quick souvenir stop. Unless it's one of the more unique places, they have pretty much all the things you'll find in other shops. Being my first time in Gent, I will keep remembering this place as the shop that surprisingly had EXACTLY what I wanted.
