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Thursday 15 June 2023

Ghent, Belgium

We have just returned from a few days in Ghent in Flanders, in the north of Belgium. We have visited there several times before but this was the best time and we all decided (four of us) that we now place the city above Bruges, that most-popular of tourist destinations. It's slightly less packed with tourists and slightly less overpriced!

A typical Ghent canal-side view
Belgian is of course famous for it's hundreds of varieties of top-quality beer, of which my Son-in-Law and I are huge fans!

Westvlteren beer is very interesting as, until a few weeks ago, it was only available from their off-the-beaten-track Monastery. They are concerned that it is only sold to end-users and not to businesses. Applying to buy it was like asking to join the Secret Service! We were given a thirty minute time slot to collect it and paid only two Euros for each of 24 bottles; I have seen it advertised at 18 Euros...

I'm listening to Helen Shapiro singing Little Miss Lonely. She was one of the most talented of Britain's female pop-singers and was very mature when she recorded most of her hits as a teenager. Listen here.


6 comments:

Parnassus said...

Hello Bazza, Your photos of Ghent are wonderfully picturesque. It looks like a happy vacation spot. One thing that i have wondered about buildings lapped by water is whether they tend to be damp, and whether the lower levels are prone to flooding.
--Jim

bazza said...

Hi Jim. The answer to your question is...Yes! It's a problem that still hasn't been adequately solved but modern techniques are able to make the problem less serious. Bruges and Ghent are both at their best when viewed from a canal boat - something I have done many times.

Hels said...

In 2009, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland and Australia drank more beer per capita than any country on earth.

In 2021 Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Romania, Germany, Estonia, Lithuania and Slovakia took the lead, with Czech Republic drinking twice as much as any other nation.

No mention of Belgium, but I wonder why.

bazza said...

Hels: It's quality over quantity! Beer is to the Belgians as wine is to the French.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Bazza - it'a place I'd love to visit, as too Bruges. Your beer choice sounds very interesting ... and I love the photo of Leah with Gary ... happy memories for you all - cheers Hilary

bazza said...

Hilary: We are lucky to get on so well with both of our daughters and Sons-in-Law! Belgium (especially Flanders) is very underrated,