Day 6: Ghent planning

While planning our trip I purposely left Monday blank. We had a busy five days leading up to Monday, and the next day we were going to Amsterdam starting via the 6 am Eurostar. I told Don, Monday was up for grabs.

Some options:

• Stay in Antwerp
• Take a 52-minute train ride to Leuven (a university town I explored solo)
• Take a 56-minute train ride to Ghent (a Flemish city I have not been to in years)
• Take a 48-minute train ride to Brussels

I didn't really offer Brussels, but it was there if the other three options did not capture his interest.

We talked about it on the ride back from Liege. We decided on Ghent.

One of the benefits to taking the train, and to having a cell phone plan with data can use around the globe is that is where most of my trip planning took place. At no point did we consider this a "trip of our lifetime" or a place we will never visit again. 

As the train sped through the Flemish countryside, I made a list:

• Castle of the Counts (Gravensteen)
• Belfry dragon
• Graffiti street
• Christmas Market
• 6 pm walking tour: Dark Side of Ghent

Yoran told Don about A.S. Adventure, an REI-like store in Belgium. The locations in Liege and Antwerp are on the outskirts of town, likely in an area with big box style stores, but the one in Ghent was near the historic district. Yes, that was a swaying vote. 

With shopping on the list, Don also wondered about House of Waffles, IKEA, and ALDI.

We boarded the 9:06 am train out of Antwerpen Centraal, the same train we took a few days earlier to go to Brugges. As we were nearing Ghent-St. Pieters station we saw a group of people about Ashley's age. They told us they were returning from a weekend retreat to a small town in Belgium a stop away from Ghent. They are all part of an international studies program that has them living several months in a few different cities. Some of the group was heading to Copenhagen soon, others to Germany. What an experience they are having!

The historic center of Ghent is about a charming 30 minute walk from the train station. Looking at Google Maps Don's directions to the A.S. Adventure store were almost as the same as my directions to the castle.

The inside was just as stunning as the outside. There were three floors of merchandise and a skylight. Don walked around and noted they sold a lot of the same clothing that he is familiar with at REI. I did eye up some coats that were perfect for rainy, chilly Belgian weather. When I asked Don about them (they were thinner than my puffy coat, but insulated, and  covers the bottom), he said they don't have an equivalent at his store. Maybe next time I'll save suitcase space for a bulky purchase like that.

They have locations in Belgium, France, and Luxemburg. Something to keep in mind the next time we visit.
 

We continued the walk to the center of town. We realized we were hungry about the time we passed their Wasbar. Having really enjoyed Wasbar in Bruges, we knew we would enjoy it. What I didn't realize in Bruges, but is clearly mentioned on their website, is that they encourage you to do your laundry while eating a meal, or just hanging out with friends. Something to keep in mind the next time we travel to Belgium. I'm only just now realizing there was one in Antwerp, which would have come in handy since our VRBO did not include a washing machine. That is a useful business model.

After our lunch we walked to the Castle of the Counts to begin our sightseeing adventures. 

We kept the expectations low to allow time to just wander around this old city. Before our visit I had no idea it had so many canals and has retained its Middle Ages look.