Ghent

August 19, 2019

Another Belgium city, another canal. I was wondering why these places have canals, I assume it is for flooding purposes. I read that the Dutch have mastered canal management and so the city is not sinking unlike Venice.

By far in my opinion this is the best city to visit in Belgium. I have to say that with caution. We got here at 4pm and it was a Monday during non peak season, so it wasn't crowded at all. The products and services are also cheaper here than the other Belgium cities.

After parking we walked around through the narrow alleys of Ghent (or as the Belgians and all of Europe for that matter call it Gent). We seen the tourist and crowds which meant we were close to city center. As we walked through this narrow street, it opened up to a beautiful city. It takes your breath away. As the internet says the streets of Ghent are some of the most beautiful in Europe and I do agree.

There is also a romantic feel in the air when you visit, many couples are near the canal making out and holding each other. Immediately we saw the prices were cheaper than Bruges. The canal tour was cheaper, so we were like f-it lets do it! We paid €10 cheaper than Bruges for a canal tour, and the tour was longer too. But that wasn't all, our guide was spectacular. First of all there were French and English speakers on board, so he had to speak 2 languages. Second, the amount of detail he provided us was nothing short of amazing. One story was about Stella Artois, the beer. He talked about the canal ends up at this area? thereby feeding all the ingredients?? thus becomes the essence of beer and that is what Stella Artois means...

That was one story, but he talked about more stories like how Ghent was the poor version of Venice because it was a textile industry involving inhumane child labor and people lived really poor. One of the most interesting sites and the cherry on top was passing by the moat. That was an amazing experience. Who would have ever thought I would be going around a moat. The castle's name was Gravensteen, it is a beautiful castle meant for defense. Our tour guide was explaining some of the events that went on there.

After the canal tour, we went to eat dinner. I wanted to try something different and on the menu was Vol au Vent which is like a chicken a la king dish. This made me laugh, because I expected something amazing, but chicken a la king is like thick chicken stew. Of course I drank a beer, Vedett which is similar to a pilsner. Jared was acting up, so we decided to leave and drive back to the hotel. In a way, it was kinda good, makes you want to experience Ghent even more. Leave a little on the table in case you want to go back.