So, where was I...ah the barbecue. Awesome. Potato salad, white sausage, and black sausage. There was other food but that was the stuff that made my tummy smile. YUM.
We took the bus back to Brussels and, unwilling to end a great day, decided to get a nightcap. We went to Moeder Lambic which has an excellent beer selection (duh) and got a round and a cheese & meat plate to share, which was delicious. After 2 beers, half the group sensibly called it quits while I was easily persuaded to be foolish - after all, I'd missed the last tram already! Mark and I hung out for another couple of rounds and I have to say, he is quite a cool guy; I enjoyed sharing beers and terrible stories with him. He also introduced me to the guy in charge of the bar, who is also very cool, and I was really pleased to be able to meet him.
So yeah, the metro is done. The bus is questionable. Taxi it is. I get back to the B&B around 2 am and fall in to bed.
MONDAY I actually wake up at 6 am to my neighbor peeing in the bathroom next door. I fall back asleep and wake up at 7 am because there's a skylight and I forgot to close the shade before going to sleep. Rats.
I have a lovely breakfast with my host, Adi; I love staying in B&B's and getting to know people a bit. After breakfast I headed to the train station for Ghent/Gent/Gand.
My arrival in Ghent is timed just before lunch, so I take the tram to the old city and walk around a bit. At first I go astray and am very cranky about how bleah the city is, but eventually I find the old center and... well it's a bit better. After some exploring I have a lovely prix fixe lunch, then head out to explore more. Somehow this city is making me cranky. It's not very charming or picturesque, people are rude (are they Eastern European?!?!?) and too many places are closed on Monday. I find a brewery I'm searching for after a great deal of effort and they don't seem to care if I patronize them or not, so I don't (which makes me mad at myself as much as I am at them). I don't know whether my hopes were too high for Ghent or if I genuinely find it to be meh, but I do. My feet ache from walking as I head to the train and I'm annoyed that they hurt so much for so little in return.
On the train I chant "don't be annoyed don't be annoyed" which works until, following the B&B instructions in Brugge, I nearly get on the wrong bus. Luckily I check with the driver and he says no, he doesn't go where I need him to. Now I'm annoyed again, grr. The right bus comes a few minutes later and we move toward central Brugge...and my annoyance melts. I smile. Happiness washes over me.
I hoof it for about 15 minutes to the B&B and am so charmed by what I find, I smile more! My room is beautiful, blue and white with a princess' bed. ;-) My hostess is incredibly warm and friendly. After settling in and calling Chris' relatives to say I really am here, I walk around for a bit and find I am every bit as in love with Brugge as I was last year. This place touches my heart like only a few other locales.
As I wander I find this bar, De Garre, which is terribly difficult to find... unless a sandwich board is out front. :-) I realize I need to eat first and get frites, then go back to the bar where I enjoy the house ("huis") beer and a Rocheford Grand Cru while listening to classical music and American voices and reading my book on Paris. The service is low key but friendly. When I first walked in I felt conspicuous but that quickly fades and I'm completely comfortable and enjoying myself, until they close, which is perfect as I need to post this and go to bed. :-)
We took the bus back to Brussels and, unwilling to end a great day, decided to get a nightcap. We went to Moeder Lambic which has an excellent beer selection (duh) and got a round and a cheese & meat plate to share, which was delicious. After 2 beers, half the group sensibly called it quits while I was easily persuaded to be foolish - after all, I'd missed the last tram already! Mark and I hung out for another couple of rounds and I have to say, he is quite a cool guy; I enjoyed sharing beers and terrible stories with him. He also introduced me to the guy in charge of the bar, who is also very cool, and I was really pleased to be able to meet him.
So yeah, the metro is done. The bus is questionable. Taxi it is. I get back to the B&B around 2 am and fall in to bed.
MONDAY I actually wake up at 6 am to my neighbor peeing in the bathroom next door. I fall back asleep and wake up at 7 am because there's a skylight and I forgot to close the shade before going to sleep. Rats.
I have a lovely breakfast with my host, Adi; I love staying in B&B's and getting to know people a bit. After breakfast I headed to the train station for Ghent/Gent/Gand.
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| Delicious lunch at the Packhuis in Ghent |
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| Ghent self porttrait |
I hoof it for about 15 minutes to the B&B and am so charmed by what I find, I smile more! My room is beautiful, blue and white with a princess' bed. ;-) My hostess is incredibly warm and friendly. After settling in and calling Chris' relatives to say I really am here, I walk around for a bit and find I am every bit as in love with Brugge as I was last year. This place touches my heart like only a few other locales.
As I wander I find this bar, De Garre, which is terribly difficult to find... unless a sandwich board is out front. :-) I realize I need to eat first and get frites, then go back to the bar where I enjoy the house ("huis") beer and a Rocheford Grand Cru while listening to classical music and American voices and reading my book on Paris. The service is low key but friendly. When I first walked in I felt conspicuous but that quickly fades and I'm completely comfortable and enjoying myself, until they close, which is perfect as I need to post this and go to bed. :-)
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