Gent and more Brussels

So right now, we're sitting in a pub on Anspach in Brussels, drinking some cold beverages. Ok. Yes, It's an Irish pub. But they had free wifi. And we're drinking Belgian beer. (Yes, We.)


I've edited my typos many times already. Beers here can run up to 9.5% alcoholic content. But they sure don't taste it. Nice, smooth blondes, going down real easy. Right now we're on a cherry flavoured beer though. Only 5.2%.

Anyway. Today, we caught an IR (Inter-Regional) train to Gent. Our train yesterday was an IC (or Inter-City)and much faster and more comfortable. But that's cool. We saw lots of new countryside. And one thing we particularly noticed, is the pride people seem to have in their homes. I mean, think about the train lines in Melbourne. Think about the properties and regions backing into them. They aren't the nicest. Yet every property was manicured, and cared for, and looked perfect. It was stunning.

Gent. Gent is halfway between Brussels and Bruges. When we got off the train, we had to try and find out way to walk up towards the Centrum, or city centre. So we walked up this street, thinking it looks so urban, so usual, just like any other major city in the Western World. Kinda boring and annoying in a way.

But then, it suddenly opened out, and we remembered why we were coming to Gent. The Gent Festival was on. Well, it would be later in the day. There were still heaps of markets, and lots of sound stages set up, and even lots of impromptu music.

The town and the buildings are very very gothic, and not a square like most places are. It was just open and weaving. Normally, they leave the old buildings alone - one of the things we noticed in Italy, was the places like Mcdonalds, were very subtle and designed to fit right into the surrounds. Not so much in Gent. It's like an old, gentrified town, in the midst of becoming young, new and modern. It's all mashed in together - not "designed" to be new and old.


We had a fantastic day though, despite wishing we'd gone a bit later in the day.

Oh - and they do gravy on fries here as well, only it's called stravleesaus or similar. It's more like a gravy from a beef stew. God it's good. Nice, thick and full of beefy flavour - no soggy fries. It's hard to choose sauces, when they have 10 or 12 different options.