Ghent or Gent, it’s all the same place, a really neat old city in the Flanders region of Belgium, about 40 miles east of Bruges. We arrived at the Blaarmeersen playground (stadium) amidst an international yoof football tournament and the place was absolutely crammed with football teams. Thankfully, Sunday, our arrival day, was the last day of the tournament and by mid afternoon the thumping music had stopped and it was much quieter. Our chosen pitch was good, and the facilities were well maintained, though there was some road noise. Families of bunnies invaded every day…they were quite confident among us humans. Andrew’s threats of an air-rifle seemed lost in translation.
We ventured out on bikes mid afternoon to take a look at the city in the afternoon sunshine. As elsewhere in Belgium, cycling is the way to go, and it was very easy to find the city centre, where we also found a secure, covered cycle park, which was well used. Sitting outside a bar, Andrew managed to lose half his beer onto his shorts, thanks to a sudden gust of wind..as in it was a very breezy day, not a reference to Andrew’s digestion!
Talking of which, we’d arrived almost out of food…forgot the Continental “shops closed on Sundays ” convention…oops…so we found (via Google Maps) a Lidl, and we stocked up with – beer and wine (of course) and a range of other items, it’s amazing what a pannier and a rucksack can hold!
Ghent’s best kept secret is…..their Tourist Information office…we wandered, following the “i” signs…never quite finding it..eventually, we stopped for (another) beer, and asked the waiter…”under the bell tower”, says he..huh, nope, it had been moved to the near the castle….hidden in a corner of the square…blink and you’ll miss it…we did, several times!
Overall, though, Ghent was a wonderful city to visit, it has a real buzz to it, with many interesting churches to visit (yes, a few Euros to light some candles). Some beautiful architecture to admire, and picturesque views of the old city.
Click on the photo below for more images of Ghent.
