Just Can't Ghent Enough

I had never heard of Ghent, Belgium until I did a search about cities to visit in Belgium, but I still didn't pay it any mind. We asked some fellow travelers and locals where to visit in Belgium, and there was some consensus. Everyone said to skip Brussels (Kiwi living there said it was boring, Ukrainian living there hates it), Bruges is nice but touristy, Antwerp is okay, so they recommended Ghent. The worst thing about Ghent is that we were only there for 24 hours. If you ever go to Ghent, no less than 3 days will do. It isn't a large city, but it is grand. The center is stunning, every place you turn is beautiful. I'm officially a fan girl. 

Gravensteen is a castle in the center, so bizarre to see a metro going by this medieval castle. It's a castle famous for torture, thumb screws, guillotine, and all that.

Joel got to enjoy some Belgian beers, sadly we didn't get to a chocolate place in time. Like most places we've been to so far, stores and such close at a reasonable hour, you know, because work is not the end all be all. In all the architectural beauty we also saw this cool street art alley.

Cool market hall where there is a piano available so people can play when it strikes their fancy. We heard a couple of people playing while we walked by.

             

Beautiful sunny views. Bonus points to Belgium for being the first country of the trip without rain. I know, it was only 24 hours. It's hard to put into words, but this city really charmed me and all we did is walk around for hours and hours.

Next stop: Paris, France