“…it has to be good.”
While staying in Brussels, Mike and I took several day trips thanks to a cheap Christmas train special (roundtrip for 10 euros!). The first place we ventured off to was Ghent.
Am I the only one who finds the name Ghent a bit underwhelming? I mean, the word just doesn’t draw me in. It’s so dull and dreary sounding. Fortunately, when Mike proposed Ghent as a day trip he came prepared with photographs. As it turns out, behind that lackluster name lies a lovely city, well-deserving of a visit.
We arrived in Ghent at midday, armed with a Use-It map. We set out from the train station with plenty of Use-It suggested spots to check out. Unfortunately, our visited coincided with Boxing Day. Most shops and restaurants were closed for the holiday. Because Use-It maps strive to give visitors a local experience, we found ourselves walking through dead neighborhoods with little to see or do. Not exactly ideal when you only have one day in town.
Mike and I decided to ignore Use-It for a while and head to the center of town. Surely there’d be something happening there. As you might expect, as we neared the center of town the buildings and scenery became more and more idyllic. At one point we decided to check out an area that seemed to have quite a few visitors lingering nearby. Bingo! Tourist information. We picked up a more traditional tourist map and set out to see the major sights. It turns out we had somehow walked in a big circle around the main sights and managed to avoid every last one. We felt a little silly when we turned the corner to crowds of tourists and merrymakers, a Christmas market, and a spectacular view. Oops!
You better hope you have the boat ready before you step out the back door!
The rest of our time in Ghent was spent sliding on a giant slide, picking up a few more treats at HEMA (I was a little obsessed with that shop), and enjoying the gorgeous medieval architecture.
Even though most of the “locally suggested” spots were closed and we spent most of our time in the tourist areas, Ghent’s coolness was quite apparent. I loved the city’s college town vibe mixed with its traditional picturesque beauty. It definitely has a local quality that the much more popular Bruges lacks.
I suppose having a lackluster name isn’t such a bad thing after all.
xo, jill
Wow, that looks like a gorgeous little city!
So pretty! I’ve been caught out on public holidays and Sundays around Europe before but with such a gorgeous backdrop, it still seems like you had a wonderful day.
Sue recently posted…Kyrgyzstan: The People
Ghent looks wonderful! Definitely better than its drab little name would suggest. When it comes to these olde tyme towns in Belgium, I always only hear about Bruges, but it’s nice to know there are other alternatives!
Steph (@ 20 Years Hence) recently posted…Marvelous, Magnificent Mulu
Yep, Bruges was like Disneyland with so many crowds of visitors. Ghent felt like we were visiting a real place, where real people lived and worked.
I love Ghent! It’s my hometown…Seeing these pictures make me miss it so much! It’s a pitty so many travellers skip it or only come down for a day trip… Next time stay longer and get into the use-it map! 😀
Sarah recently posted…Spiritual Tourism: Thaipusam 2014
I would very happily stay longer in Ghent next time (not on a holiday!). We considered staying there a week but found the perfect apartment to rent in Brussels. It seemed like a lovely place for anyone to call home.
This place looks so pretty!!
Chloe (@CHolgatee) recently posted…Stressing myself out