First order of business this morning was to find cafe for a quick bite of breakfast, and then a grocery store, please!
David had found one fairly nearby using his "Around Me" app, and he even wrote out the turn by turn directions. Armed with an actual paper map (what are those, anyway?) we did find a grocery store. Yaaaay!
We found a little cafe just a few doors down, and had a weird breakfast of a paninni sandwich. It's hard to find good breakfasts when we travel--as most Europeans seem to just have coffee & a pastry.
After our strange breakfast we did our little bit of grocery shopping--for important things like eggs, beer, bread, pop. The beer being the most important, of course ;} We schlepped our groceries back to our apartment then set out to explore Gent.
The second order of business: Find a pharmacy. I'm giving in and buying a cane.
I'm way too stubborn to sit around and wait for my knee/ankle to get better. We found one within a few blocks, and the nice pharmacist showed us the only cane they had, a collapsible model. Fine with me--at this point I'm not picky. I asked him how much--I thought he said 70 Euros and I kind of hesitated, but said I'd take it. As it turned out it was only 17 Euros--whew!
The best 17 Euros I've spent on this trip! I'm still pokey and slow, but I'm much more comfortable and stable, which is a good thing.
We continued our wandering around Gent--we are really liking this town! The architecture is beautiful and there are quite a few interesting things to see.
Today we walked further in to the Old Town Historic area of Gent. Gent is much like Bruges, in that it is built around several canals. Here are some views from today:
It was almost 2 by now, and we were ready for some lunch. We crossed a canal and wandered down a few narrow streets, and David spotted a Nepalese restaurant. Sounded good to us--and it was!
There was no outdoor seating, so we sat inside--and still had a nice street view.
Pretty building across the street with lovely art nouveau decoration:
Our lunch was delicious! We ordered the lunch special, which included a few vegetables dishes and a piece of tandoori chicken:
We also ordered a lamb curry dish--it was really good, too:
We each ordered a beer--David had a Belgian beer, and I tried one from Nepal.
After our leisurely lunch we continued wandering the pretty streets in this neighborhood. We came to a big square with a statue
Jacob van Artevelde, Flemish statesman 1290-1345
The streets around the square were really pretty. There's a big market held here on the weekends--I'm pretty sure we'll be checking it out on Saturday.
We came across this interesting church--looks very old. Couldn't check out the inside as it wasn't open.
The Gent Belfry, built 1313-1380
It's topped with a gilded dragon figure:
It was about 5:30 now, and we decided to mosey on back to our apartment and rest for awhile. We relaxed, posted some pictures and we even took a little nap!
About 8:30 pm we wandered back out for some dinner, choosing a nice place with outdoor seating and heat lamps!
We ordered a small steak, served with a side of fries. They were both very good. Belgians claim to have "invented" the French (?) fry--and they sure do them right. They are always hot, crisp and delicious!
And another goat cheese salad!
A carafe of red wine? Oh, yes! It was a fine meal, and we had a nice view of the canal and surrounding buildings.
It was almost 10 by the time we got back--pretty late for these two travelers!
Even though it had been a pokey and slow moving day, we are still enjoying beautiful Gent and all it has to offer.
Tomorrow in Gent? Nothing specific planned
It must be so awesome to be immersed in a city with such interesting architecture and beauty..... plus the wonderful selections of brew. I'm envious!
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