Cassie's Series of Adventures: Belgium & Netherlands, part 1. Ghent.

Hello Majestic Creatures! 

It is my pleasure to finally welcome you to my blog. Whether you are just a passer-by or a full-blown traveler leading a nomadic lifestyle in this never-ending labyrinth of Internet’s stories, I am in fact really happy you found your way here. You may be looking for inspiration, for travel tips or just a fun way to spend your time, and if such is the case, I would like to believe this could become the place where you will find your El Dorado, your own Shangri-La, a secret garden filled with thoughts, stories, poems, photos, videos, interviews, art, feelings, music, etc. If you like it, let me know. If you don’t, you can always skip and just go (~constructive criticism is welcomed though!).  

Now, without further ado, let me tell you my first story.

Story: On a Tuesday morning, 3rd July, I found myself on Victoria station in London wandering around and craving some kind of adventure. (Don’t we all have these moments?) Then somehow I ended up in Ghent, Belgium, at the bus station which didn’t look like a bus station. Interested to hear more? 😄 

The journey from London to Ghent, via Lille and towards Amsterdam Sloterdijk, was a long tiring journey (9-10 hours), with two passport controls (just how I love Eurotunnel…), but I would still recommend Flixbus for its really amazing price (I went to Belgium and back for 36.77€ booking last minute) and free (+ actually working) wi-fi on board. The only element of this that I have found really confusing was when the bus driver left me in the middle of nowhere, with no signs, no waiting seats, no numbers, just me, asphalt and darkness. After walking around the undetermined fence, I found myself in the middle of a busy road (sounds like a line that could appear in the modern adaptation of Alighieri's Commedia Divina). The name of this bus “station” (ha!) is Ghent (Dampoort) because the bus stops quite near the railway station with the same name. This train station is closer to the city centre than the other one - Gent-Sint-Pieters. Gent-Sint-Pieters is a nicer station but it is also further from the historic city centre when it comes to the walking distance so if you plan to walk to your accommodation in the city centre, make sure your train stops at Dampoort. However, if you don’t mind using even more of public transport to get the full experience, trams are quite popular and leave Gent-Sint-Pieters regularly.

One of the least obvious bus stations in my life

The very first thing I had to take care of once in Ghent was to look for a hostel as I had nothing reserved (charms of spontaneous journeys). I’ve spent that night alone in a 5-people room with a private bathroom just behind the corner from the city’s castle! Lucky ;) If you are like me and you usually travel on a budget, I can personally recommend you the two hostels in which I stayed during my journey: De Draecke Hostel (historic city centre, just behind the corner from Gravensteen Castle, breakfast included, 5€ deposit fee) and KaBa Hostel (still near the historic centre but closer to Dampoort station, breakfast included - fresh eggs too, no deposit fee, you sleep in a three-leveled bunk beds that are designed like bird tree hollows - panoramic views of the room guaranteed from the very top bed).

KaBa Hostel “Bird” Bunk Beds / Thank you for quiche Nico from Argentina

Fun fact: In KaBa hostel I had some rather interesting encounters. In the middle of the night some guy climbed the ladder up to the third floor of the bunk bed and sat on me exclaiming in shock: “What the **** are you doing here?! This is my bed!”, to which I, to say at least surprised, replied “Actually this bed is mine, my things are in the locker... Also, this is all female room.” Feeling incredibly confused and muttering to himself, the guy left, however I did meet him again in the morning, when during breakfast he stopped in front of me terrified and said “Uh… I suppose you were the person I woke up in bed yesterday night?” He tried to explain the situation to me - the number of the room in his email was different than the one on the key, etc. I didn’t really need any explanation, I have found the whole situation rather amusing, though of course I was prepared to fight for my bed to the very end. One other gentleman however, Nico from Argentina, was nice enough to save me with his vegan quiche after hearing my stomach rumbling on the last evening before I went back to UK. 

Gravensteen Castle

After finding a place to stay for the night, I went out to explore. I mean, that was after I ate. And I ate after I stopped laying on the cobblestones behind the hostel pretending to be a badass who doesn’t cry after falling down the stairs. And I fell down from the stairs because I was reading a leaflet. The outcome: sprained ankle on the very first day of my spontaneous journey. The moral is simple - don’t text and drive. Or rather, don’t read and walk. You’re welcome.

Sprained my ankle

A propos food: Ghent is filled with restaurants, cafes, ice cream parlours, bistros, bars, and many of them are really affordable. However, when I asked for a budget place to eat something local, I was recommended De Lieve, and because it was just behind the corner from my first hostel and my ankle was swelling fast, I went there and spent 9€ pretending a plate full of smoked salmon was just what I wanted.

9€ Smoked Salmon Plate

In general, I am not saying that you cannot eat nice things in De Lieve (my smoked salmon was really quite tasty) but if you ask me, I prefer to go a bit further and eat similar food 20-30% cheaper. Also, bear in mind, De Lieve does not have menus in English (I believe this is why it was recommended to me as local). However, thanks to my Beginner Dutch, Google Translator and a truly helpful waitress, I managed to decode most of the positions within menu. I don’t remember them anymore but risotto was one of the options. And some sort of salad with cheese. In the end I paid 11.60€ because my glass of water was 2,60€. At that point I decided that from the next day I will just eat fries (didn’t quite keep up with this resolution).

After I proudly ate my plate of smoked salmon, I strolled towards Werregarenstraat - a street in Ghent which is fully covered in graffiti. The reason? It is, I believe, the only spot in the city where it is legal so people can try this art without consequences. (Correct me if I am wrong, locals!)

Werregarenstraat

Then I just wandered around the area in a proper flâneur style, admiring a cold tint of the sunset and the warm lights slowly recalled from the realm of shadows. Walking around this city was just charming (especially the streets of Patershol).

Most of Belgium’s cities that I visited had canals so here is a view of one ;)

Or two.

Or three.

Or four.

Fun fact: When I arrived, my boyfriend didn't want to believe me when I casually said "I'm in Belgium" as he saw me in the morning. I had to share my live location to convince him.

The story within a story:

It was late evening when I was walking through the streets of Ghent, on the way back to my hostel. Suddenly I saw a warm light beaming from one of the houses which was covered in ivy. Enraptured, I looked through the window and saw a room filled with old nostalgia objects, paintings, rocking horses, books and wooden figurines. There was also an old man inside, one that I initially took for a wax figure or perhaps an automaton because of how still he was, stuck reading. He turned out to be very much alive and real. I escaped feeling like an intruder and did another round but something made me come back to the house and then I noticed the old man with his white hair and beard was gone only to appear in front of me. We then started a fascinating chat about philosophy, politics, Buddhism, Egyptian deities, art, magic, time. We mixed English with Dutch and French to communicate. He was kind to offer me a glass of cognac from Champagne with Ghent's dark chocolate and invited me to explore the same room that I have found so fascinating. There was opera music, then some canciones from Cataluña and Eastern melodies. There were 18th century Dutch paintings from Antwerp faded with age, iron horses from Iran, old fireplace and lots of clocks. And two wonderful dogs. The house, as the old man said, had a soul. ~~~ During our journeys we often forget that these kind of experiences are the most special ones which will stay in our memory forever. Chance meetings, stories we hear from others with whom our paths cross for a split moment. A moment which then becomes frozen in time and space. The Romantics knew about it on their Grand Tours, why would we forget? Feel free to share your own stories down below in the comments section!

The next day the lovely couple travelling from America bought me a tram ticket to my train station (I wanted to give them the money back but they wouldn't hear of it). We chatted all way through. At the same square you see in the picture (Sint-Veerleplein), the previous evening a young musician was performing a cover of Metallica's Nothing Else Matters bestowing this place with a special atmosphere. There are some streetlights there that apparently flash each time a baby is born in Ghent. Also, it's facing the castle! 

Apparently, Poseidon is here bacause the building used to be a fish market. 

When I came back to Ghent on my last day of travelling, before getting back to England, I have been welcomed by the honking cars and boats, and people cheering in a wild euphoria after Belgium won a game in Mundial. There was something very epic about it. Something that made me feel strangely touched. I was walking slowly listening to this melody of honks - some close to me, some in a distance. Even I, a complete outsider, felt like a part of their community for this one evening, with strangers smiling at me, cheering alongside me and laughing together with me. Everybody was so open. Everybody felt happy, even though not all knew why.

Yours,

-A.

P.S. Next post will follow my journey from Ghent to Brussels. After that, expect Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Alkmaar and Zaanse Schans.