We have really enjoyed our time here in Ghent. Like all of the travel guides we have looked at, we agree that it is a mystery that this city remains the undiscovered gem of Belgium. Everything is here - history, beautiful architecture, unlimited wandering down side streets with so much to discover, great food and an energetic vibe. Maybe a part of its charm is that the number of tourists who come here do not overwhelm the hospitality of the city. Nonetheless, we are happy that we came and stayed a few days.
The hostel was comfortable with an exceptional location and we enjoyed our room - the only problem was the poor breakfast and the woman whose job it was to provide it. The breakfast was underwhelming to say the least. However, the real problem was the personality of the hostile, unhelpful woman who worked there. She basically glared at the guests and spent all of her time feeding herself or outside smoking. We suspected that the poor choice of food, including buns and yogurt, may be because she had already eaten it! The tables were always dirty, food was not replenished and her role seemed to be only to replace dirty dishes and eat. It was bizarre to watch her behaviour. The second morning, a young woman was assisting her, but she spent the complete time on her phone. The main complaint we have about this youth hostel is that there seems to be a lack of a manager onsite who could keep things running more smoothly.However, the young women working at the reception desk were excellent. Because of the cost, location and comfortable room we would recommend staying here, but keep your expectations low for breakfast.
The route today was exceptionally beautiful and we had a great day of riding. We had rain throughout the day, but we carried on. We are getting better at donning and taking off our rain gear when needed.
We rode north of Brugge about 5 km to stay at the youth hostel "Herdersbrug". This will allow us to spend some time tomorrow exploring Brugge and the area.
The hostel in Ghent, the view from our window and an adjacent canal.
Mary Ellen trying to figure out how to get back to the trail - coordinating the GPS and the city map plus avoiding the blocked streets that are preparing for the fest this w/e.
As fate will have it, the predicted rain hit hard just as we were trying to leave Ghent. It didn't take long for the cobbled streets to fill with water.
Both Holland and Belgium have these efficient garbage receptacles along the trail and the road. A "twofer" - it allows us to dispose of our garbage and also to work on our basketball skills.
Belgians are noted for the precisely manicured hedges and topiary bushes in their gardens - but this is a first for us, an arrow sculpted from a bush. We have seen Belgians grooming their bushes with small scissors creating a perfect look.
Since Ghent and approaching Brugge, the reserved nature of Belgians has changed to an open friendliness as shown by Karin from Brugge. She met us when we were stopped to buy strawberries and she joined us for a chat. She was out for a ride to visit a friend and she wanted to share with us her tips regarding Brugge. From what we hear, one must not stay only within the tourist areas as it is not pleasant. We appreciated the insights of a local.
Automats (vending machine) are common here for anything you can imagine - bicycle tires/tubes, cigarettes, drinks, etc - but we have not before seen these in the country at a farm. We could buy a pint of strawberries from the farm,homemade jam, drinks and chocolates. We bought some strawberries and they were delicious.
This monument with a mangled tank is a memorial of the Canadians during WWII who liberated this area and facilitated the crossing of the Ghent Brugges canal.
Many of them have been modified to create a home for bats with places for them to nest and piles of branches and vegetation for making their nests. We wandered through one and were amazed at the size of the bunker. A home for bats - what a great way to use these old bunkers.
Luc is a great ambassador for his beloved home of Brugges. He was full of stories of past and present. His war memories gave us interesting insights in to the Belgian experience. His uncle was captured 5 times during WWI and successfully escaped 5 times - with a bounty on his head. He remembers as a boy the Canadians marching in to Brugge.
Youth Hostel Herdersbrug is located directly on the canal (to Zeebrugge on the coast) and shares it facilities with the Brugge Rowing Club. Our room overlooks the canal and we are enjoying watching the activity of the rowers and the boats.
This rowing club is proud to have 3 of its rowers going to the Olympics in Rio this year. As well, in the past, 3 of their rowers have won Olympic medals.
