A Day in Ghent.

After squeezing our rucksacks into a locker in the train station, we were free to explore the city for a few hours. We needed to be at our apartment in Bruges by 5pm, to meet the owner who would collect the pay and give us the keys. We guessed that would allow us just enough time to have a wander around, grab some lunch, and then make our way to the next stop.

As we left the station, we caught a tram (which was a far more difficult system to work out than any form of transport we had caught so far, however just jump on one and see where it ends up, most of them run towards the centre).

I had heard so much about Ghent, but I was staggered by how beautiful it was. A condensed city, Ghent itself is an easy walk, with history falling on top of itself. 

We started by walking the route between each of the churches, and despite my love of ecclesiastical buildings, it was the ones in-between, that we came across as we followed the route, that really were the most beautiful.

We made our way up to the castle, which was under scaffolding, for a quick look. One of the problems with travelling outside of the peak season, and something that we had seen in every place we had been so far, is that as soon as September hits, the scaffolding goes up and cities are restored. I completely understand why the cities do it, and quite honestly it is sensible. However, it does mean that if you visit a city outside of the school holidays, when stop overs are manageable prices and you're not fighting to share every restaurant table with masses of tourists, you tend to get an insight into the restoration work of old architecture. 

After a wander from one side of the city to other, we decided to go down by the water and see what the restaurants had on offer. And the edge of the city had a lot more to offer than just food. The presence of the quintessential Belgian buildings, looming over the canals, was just, in the most cliche of ways, breath taking. 

We sat down to a set menu of cheese croquets, pigs cheeks with a sweet onion sauce (which was tender, and crumbled with the gentle touch of a fork) and an Affligem Blonde. However good the food was, and it really was, it was the view from our table, in my eyes, that made the meal.