I just got back from the most amazing weekend I've had since I've been in Europe. I would just first like to mention how astounded I am with how genuinely kind and hospitable Belgian people are. I couldn't have been left with a better opinion of my time there, and I really can't wait to go back again (hopefully soon!)
So anyway, we started out on Friday afternoon for Lochristi (a small town just outside of Gent), where Jurgen's parents live. After meeting everyone, Jurgen offered to drive me into Gent while the family had their time together (and since his family doesn't speak English very well, I wouldn't have been able to really join in the conversation anyway).
He dropped me off at the edge of the center, and I made my way down the main shopping road, stopping in shops and taking photos. Oh, and of course trying Belgian chocolates... I just couldn't go to Belgium without having my first tastes of real Belgian chocolate. (Ps. Every bit as amazing as they say). Oh yes, and the Belgian frites, too. While waiting for a ride back to Jurgen's parents, I stopped in the coolest frites shop, where they served wine and beer, and were blaring hardcore on the radio. It was just a very different atmosphere than your typical Canadian greasy fast food joint. I loved it!
Just as I got back to Jurgen's parents', Jurgen decided he wanted to go into town for some beer... great idea! Jurgen, Joanna, and I went to this pub called the Dulle Griet, a pub with 200 different types of beer, and where they serve the biggest beers I've ever seen... 1.2 litres in a huge test tube looking glass that has to be propped up with a wooden frame. Before you get that beer, though, you have to give one of your shoes as collateral (I guess because the glass is so expensive, they want to make sure you give the glass back). They take your shoe, and put it in this wire basket that gets hoisted up to the ceiling. When you return the glass, you get your shoe back. It would kinda suck if you accidentally break the glass, and you have to walk out of the bar with only one shoe! ;)
After our drinks, we took a walk around town, which was so gorgeous at night. Gent is a very old city, with buildings dating back to medieval times. At one point, when we were walking down some small side streets, it actually felt like we were in medieval times... the roads were dark, with these huge old buildings, and just with the way our feet sounded on the cobblestone roads. It was really cool to know that we were walking down roads that were built hundreds and hundreds of years ago.
We then made our way to this pub that specializes in jenever, a type of alcohol I've never heard of til this past weekend. That's all that was sold in the pub, just many many different flavors of jenever. After a few shots, we made our way to find some frites, then back to Jurgen's parents'.
Jurgens' parents were really nice in offering me a place to stay at their house for Friday night, and knowing that this was my first time to Belgium, Jurgen's dad dug up maps and booklets for me to use on my trip. They were also so kind to offer me a place to stay if I decided I wanted to stay longer in Belgium, and even to take me to Brugge themselves! I just thought it was so nice that, not even knowing me, they opened up their home to me, and did what they could to make my stay there enjoyable.
The next morning, after Jurgen, Joanna, and the kids left for England, I had a typical Flemish breakfast with Jurgen's parents (bread, pastries, jams and other spreads), then they dropped me off in town (but not without leaving me their phone numbers in case I needed to call for help, or for a place to stay, or whatever!)
Earlier in the week, Jurgen hooked me up with my own personal tour guide for Saturday... his cousin Jeroen who lives in Gent (who was also so kind to offer me a place to stay on Saturday night). So, Saturday was spent being given the royal tour of Gent, and because he's lived there his entire life, he knew all these little tidbits that he shared with me. It was pretty much as good as a paid tour guide, except funner, and I had more input into where we went! We went to the Gravensteen (my first castle experience!), complete with a torture museum. We went for a beer at a pub he used to work at, walked around the center, checked out the inside of a couple churches, including Sint-Pieterskerk (the hugest most gorgeous church I have ever seen in real life), and then of course stopped for more Belgian chocolates and some Belgian waffles. Oddly enough, we searched high and low for a Belgian waffle place, and couldn't find any. Just as we were about to give up and get pancakes, we walked into a place with both! Worked out perfectly!
Later on we went to a party his friends were throwing, and ended up staying out til 6am! It's been quite a long time since I've been up partying that late, but I must say, it was a blast! I met some really great people, danced to some great tunes, and before I knew it, I was checking my phone to see it said 6am.
I originally went to Belgium with hopes of seeing Brugge in the same weekend, but since we stayed out so late, Sunday was pretty much a write off. But I'm not at all disappointed I didn't pack everything into one weekend because I know I'll be back (hopefully sooner than later!)
The only really lousy part about my weekend (which I could have done without), was missing my connecting train in Antwerp. I searched everywhere for a train schedule that told me which train to take to Den Haag. I could only find a train going to Amsterdam, so I headed for that track, and tried to find someone to ask about getting back to Den Haag. By the time I found an attendant, he was getting on the train, and told me that this was the train... as it was pulling away. "Sorry," he says. I slowly started to piece together that I had infact missed the last train out of Belgium that night. I had a minor freakout, then decided to just get a hotel for the night... 55 euros later. I guess that's what credit cards are for, right? Emergencies, such as this.
And then the kicker is, I called Jeroen from the hotel to tell him I was safe (as texting and calling in Belgium almost completely ate up the minutes on my phone, and I thought I'd save the last few euros if I really needed them), and at checkout this morning, I was charged 4,50 euros for the call. Who would have thought that local calls would cost so damn much?! I should have just used the cell phone.
Well, at the very least, I can take this as a learning experience, and try not to feel too bad about the 60 euros I had to spend unexpectedly.
So, yes, aside from that, most amazing weekend! I know those I met this weekend will probably never read this, but thank you so so so much for being so accommodating to me. It really made my weekend, and it just warms my heart to know that there are such caring people in the world.
Well, that's all for now. If you made it this far, thanks for reading, and I promise to update soon! Oh, and ps. For more photos of Gent, check out my Flickr page!
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