A day in Paradise


Ghent

Our trip to Gent was magical. One was for what the city had to offer (snow filled streets with a great confluence of the new age and the old age beautifully woven into a sight that should not be missed) and the other, for the man who was to take us around his city.
Not so far ago, was the man I had met in a train in India and in my wildest dreams hadn’t thought we would meet again but as luck, co-incidence or fate would have it, here we were, meeting each other again, visiting his beloved city that he had spoken so much about and yet had so much to say. His name is Erwin and one of the finest men I have come across till date. We were welcomed in a style that would make an Indian feel shy (as we are known as the hospitable ones). And after exchanging almost 50 mails between each other, here we were, seeing his darling of a city first hand. Erwin not only was our guide for the entire trip but was the gentleman for whom we owe a lot of our trip to. He guided us immaculately on the cities to see, what to see in them and also, the mode of transport for travel. Without his aid, I would never be able to write this about Gent and would have never seen Gent like the way he did. From the time he picked us up from the station till the time we went to bed in his amazing house, we had veered our conversations from the city’s enjoyable history to science and closed our night with philosophy. Magical is an euphemistic word to describe our stay in Gent. And so, this piece of writing here, is my gift back and in deep gratitude to the man who made our day and to his lovely family who welcomed us to their house and showed us that deep down, we all love to travel and learn about the worlds that separate us politically.


Ghent is a relatively small town, centrally located between the 3 top tourist attractions that Belgium has to offer.

PLACES TO VISIT

De Pot Op
Erwin mentioned about the Flemish “up yours” attitude and this piece of modern architectural monument explains why. Built like a toilet paper, this was the architects way of expressing his emotions to the government of Gent. Punning of the words, De Pot Op, both means toilet and “up yours” in Flemish.

St. Bavos’ Cathedral
A cathedral that has more history than your brain can store. But one thing that you will hear far too often to forget are the words “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb”. Some call it the advent of the renaissance (the painting that gave birth to the Mona Lisa) and others call it just another painting but call it what you may, the sight of this exquisite painting is a must watch for all.



The castle
A small castle in the middle of a city may strike you as odd, but not in a city that’s filled with some fascinating stories from the late middle ages. The only good thing that the castle has to offer though is the view of the city from the top. And quite sadly, the last pictures you take with you at the end of the tour is the treacherous tortures that people had to endure during that time.
Apart from that, we did hear some more gruesome stories. Erwin, with his straight face, recounted stories of people committing suicide from atop the tower and few other who attempted and failed and their bodies having to endure another fate altogether.



 Castle at night

The ghetto lane
With a city that was boiling with creativity, some ingenious idea was given to dedicate a lane to portray ones talent for graffiti. The story goes that one man who went around making graffiti on walls was, instead of being punished, requested by the then town authority to beautify a lane in the city with his talent. Since then, a lot of people have come and tried to make their mark in the lane, and only those that are truly worth the watch stand the test of time and being replaced with a new graffiti

The graffiti lane and Erwin

Belfry
The most striking thing about this place is the sculpture atop the tower and the story that surrounds it. Cimon was condemned to starve to death and his daughter breast fed him for his survival. A poignant story and beautifully captured.



Town Hall
What struck me when Erwin asked us to see it closely was the difference in architecture. Starting off in a flamboyant Gothic style and then replaced with the Renaissance style is a pretty striking view when observed.



The Gent Tourism Office
Unlike another boring tourist office, Erwin showed us the grand idea of engaging with the tourists in an interactive fashion. Tables having a touch interface, giving one all the tourist information required about Gent and only involving the man-power when needed. But what caught my eye was the pillar outside the office. Amazing structure which otherwise could go unnoticed amidst the beauty that the city offers.



Begijnhoven
When Erwin drove us here before our trip to Brugges, we were wondering which place would we see now, after an amazing day in Gent. And there it was, slowly revealed to us, the Begijnhof. A quiet secluded place that brought back memories of my hometown. Serene, picturesque and the slight snow adding a touch of beauty to this amazing place.



City Hall




Fire away!!!




PLACES TO EAT

Veggie capital of Europe
In my last mail to Erwin, before we reached Gent, I informed him that I was vegetarian and hoped that it would not create trouble to his (I assumed) strictly non-vegetarian diet, and to my surprise, he, with his extremely great knowledge of his city, mentioned that Gent was the veggie capital of Europe. Every Thursday, the city went veg!!!

Waffle Town
For someone not familiar with waffles like my wife and I, were amazed from the moment we stepped into Max. Exquisite waffles and a variety that could make an Indian with spices in his hands feel left out. We ordered 2 large waffles with some add-ons and they were out of this world yummy.



Coffee
Its not uncommon to hear of Indian names in foreign lands but to hear of a Indian coffee bean being popular in the western side of the sphere was quite fascinating. The smell of fresh Mysore beans were wafting their way into the café and fighting the other strong coffee smell that at times irritated the nose of the not-so-much-of-a-coffee-lover and made them sneeze.

Mouth smacking Candies
Huis van Alijn is so small that you would miss it as just another store did you not know the history that is attached to it. Started more than a century ago, this candy store has such amazing candies to offer that a kid would definitely be drooling all over (and so was my wife. Almost). The products are amazing but their weird names outweighs their taste.



PLACES TO DRINK

Dreupelkot
One of the best and strongest gins that I have ever tasted. The owner was extreme welcoming and the place comes to life at night. The interesting lane behind the bar was even more interesting as it seemed to guide the terribly drunk men and women out to the open roads, and as enacted by Erwin too!

Pub and club hopping
Post dinner, in our semi drowsy state, Erwin took us to some of the coolest joints of Gent nightlife. For the first time in my life was I club and pub hopping. With various gay bars and other exotic and exquisite ones, Gent’s nightlife I must say, is pretty active.

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