Blogs from Gent, East Flanders, Belgium, Europe
May 18th 2012
Back to work again today. Started early with a swim before arriving at work ready for a catch up on e-mails and gossip. At least time flies and it is only a short time before we set off on the first real trip of the year. More last minute packing. It is hard to know what to take as far as clothing is concerned. Checking the long distance weather forecast for continental Europe and watching the BBC weather maps it seems that Northern Europe is suffering with the rain as we are. Perhaps more jumpers will be required rather than T shirts. The better weather seems to be down on Lake Garda where it will be around 23 degrees. Still nothing from the geotagging company. They advised us that they refunded money usually very quickly but ... read more
March 1st 2012
It seems that the only time I have to blog about my trips is during travel for other trips. This posting will be all about my day trip to Gent in Belgium. Every year the town of Gent puts on a light festival for one weekend in January. Shortly after moving to Belgium, I was introduced to a website called “Meetup.com” This site was created by some New Yorkers in order to bring people with similar interests and hobbies together. The nice part is everyone is usually single so there aren’t many couples doing couple things in them. So, I found a Meetup group in Brussels that is for those who love to go out to eat. SCORE! I like food, I like to eat food, I like to have others around me when enjoying food. ... read more
Flemish Bond/het Gravensteen/trams and boats and not quite planes
Published: October 30th 2011Europe » Belgium » East Flanders » Gent
October 30th 2011
The three cities of Bruges, Antwerp and Gent were always on the radar for visiting. European medieval history cannot be complete without a visit to compare the differences between the Protestant North of Europe with that of Catholic southern Europe. Flemish artworks to be compared with the work of Italian masters, the guild houses, flemish bond brickwork and gabled houses all reminders of North European culture. Gent felt small and fairly compact with easy car parking facilities close to the centre. Tram lines ran along the streets intersecting market squares full of shops selling chocolate and the cafes which spilled onto the streets. Gent proved to be a bicycle heaven with most locals using them as their preferred mode of transport. The cafes proved to be pleasant places to enjoy a coffee The ambience thought felt ... read more
September 16th 2011
As I write this I am sitting by the edge of the canal in the historic centre of the fairytale like city of Gent. Fairytale is an apt description as I look up from the computer screen to see a bride and groom float past in one of the many boats that line the canal. Since we left Peronne last Sunday morning we have cycled close on 250 klms through every condition nature could find. We've had gale force headwinds, heavy rain, mud and the darling of the Belgian town planners, cobblestones. Having said that, we have had some glorious sunny conditions. as well, especially the last couple where we cycled for full days along the River Schelde. It has been worth every minute though, a unique way to see two beautiful countries. We have whinged ... read more
September 2nd 2011
Ons huis staat op z'n kop en het is een rompslomp met papieren. Hier in België zijn overal regeltjes voor...het is blijkbaar niet 'gewoon' als je langer dan 3 maanden op reis gaat. In ieder geval aan ons moeten ze wel 'gewoon' worden. Als je eenmaal de reismicrobe te pakken hebt... We kijken er erg naar uit om te vertrekken! 5 oktober is het zover. Vanuit Gent gaan we eerst naar Parijs (met de bus). Daar zullen we nog een dagje de 'toerist' uithangen , en nog eens in een deftig bed slapen. De 6e vertrekken we naar Christchurch. De vlucht zal 23 uur duren!! Amai, we hebben nog nooit zo lang op een vliegtuig gezeten! Tussenstop in Kuala Lumpur (Maleisië). Laat het avontuur maar komen!!... read more
August 3rd 2011
So when 4 months ago I decided that I wanted to go to the USA, I knew I had a lot of work ligned up. But I only thought of the obvious... Like visa, insurance, schoolstuff, credit cards,... No, I did not think of the fact that I had to get a TB-test, take 5 unexpected extra shots, or that I should really buy some new underwear & shorts & bathingsuits & stuff to make sure my bagage is locked but can still be opened by security. Let along I was thinking of what I was going to wear on the flight over there. Nowadays.. That final point has become my biggest concern. So being my mother's daughter, I google. (When I call my mom and ask a question and she's quiet for a second, you ... read more
June 6th 2011
With the weather looking gloomy again this morning, we set off for Ghent. Nina assured us that we should not be deterred by the weather as, more often than not, it does not end up being as bad as it might look. Nina proved to be right and we enjoyed an overcast, but otherwise fine ride to Ghent along towpaths and through green pastures and picturesque villages. Until we reach Compiegne (next Monday), our route follows the Santiago de Compostela pilgrim's route. The only difficulty that we had today was a section of road construction that we had to walk our bikes along!! We arrived in Ghent by mid-afternoon and went for a short walk around the town before the Elodie arrived. After she docked we changed our shoes and walked back into the town centre ... read more
Belgium Battlefields & Venice of the North
Published: May 18th 2011Europe » Belgium » East Flanders » Gent
May 18th 2011
Arrived back in the UK yesterday afternoon (Tuesday 17th May) having dropped the hire car off at Calais Ferry port and took the trip across the channel. I must say I got used to driving on the right hand side of the road and when I picked up our other hire car in Dover it felt a bit strange driving on the left again. Anyway this blog is about the preceding 3 days or so. We arrived in Ieper (or Ypres in French) on the 13th May. This is just over the French border in Belgium. In this area the people speak a dialect of Dutch..... however we found most people spoke English; in fact at least 3 - 4 languages. We stayed at a B&B on a farm that each year finds old shells, gas ... read more
December 30th 2010
The temperature display in the car says -14.5°C as we are about to depart on our trip to Belgium. It's Boxing Day, and we just spent a good twenty minutes trying to free the car of snow and tenacious, solid ice. Even the inside of the windscreen was frozen, so was the door panelling, surprisingly. Mounds of snow confine the car to its parking spot, making it a bit of a task to pull out. Now I don't wanna sound like a whingy wimp, but I also don't like mincing my words: I really hate extreme cold and snow. That's one of the reasons I'll never get into winter sports. Working up a sweat in those conditions is just not for me. This winter is something else, I can tell y'all. Dropped down to the minuses ... read more
September 27th 2010
On Saturday we headed east for Ghent to meet with C’s Belgian friends. It was great to pick up with them so readily, having last met up in London six years ago. We wandered into the city stopping regularly for coffee, snacks and beers, and witnessing a freak hail storm. Ghent was busy and beautiful (see pic 1 -1402). Together we visited St Baafskathedrall to see one of the oldest oil paintings in the world, The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb. It was amazing. On Sunday we started with a delicious breakie at our B&B and then went to the Fine Arts Museum. We were both really impressed with the Flemish Impressionist paintings. After lunch at the museum we said goodbye to A&A for now (we will catch up again in a few days) and headed ... read more
