Ghent - Day 1

Ghent … my last city on my European Summer adventures before heading back to London to work and save for my final trip. I arrived from Louise's mid-afternoon yesterday, it was sunny and warm, and the most summery type of weather I had seen so far in Belgium.

My hostel was about 15 minutes walk so I loaded up my bag and headed in its direction. I had such a lovely feeling arriving here. The guidebook described Ghent as a bigger version of Bruges, but with less tourists, which I am definitely looking forward too!

My hostel is located on the outskirts of the main city centre. It’s a beautiful hostel, owned by a husband and wife. There are three flights of narrow stairs and no lift to my room, but beautiful hand paintings on the walls.

After settling in, and having missed all of the day’s walking tours, I decide to go for a walk on my own having perused my guidebook and the cool maps I like in the hostel foyer.

I left my hostel and walked around the different streets all-leading towards old town. I love how all the shops are individual, wherever you go. And as in London the moment the sun shows it’s head everyone heads to their nearest patch of grass and has lunch there haha, it was the same here.

I found myself on Korenmarkt having noodles for lunch and taking in the pedestrians and trams interning together. Across from me were these great old buildings, with one holding a jazz bar I wished to visit. After lunch I headed further down the street visiting’s the

Great Butchers’ Hall, an old gin house that I was too scared to ask for a gin so just left :/, across the river and past the old castle.

I ventured back towards my hostel taking a different street and stopping in at the Market Hall to watch people play the piano and then up to the graffiti street. The Gent festival of Flanders was starting in the weekend the day I left, and everywhere there were stages and scaffolding going up. It looked really exciting.

On my way back to the hostel I stopped by the grocery store to collect some items for dinner, cheese, bread, salami, jam and wine. My hostel had a cool backyard area. There was fake grass laid down and big beanbags scattered around. Sunflowers grew everywhere and the walls had a graffiti artist’s work.

In the evening I headed back into the city, looking somewhere to have a drink. I stopped in at jazz bar I read about in my map, Hot Club De Gand. It’s a secrete jazz bar because its well hidden off the main street. It was jammed pack, so I only stayed a little while before heading back to my hostel for a glass of wine and music by the megaphone.Read more