Ghent

Good afternoon everyone, The last blog finished with Christina and I exploring Brussels. We then made the short 45 minute drive to Ghent, which is slightly northwest of Brussels. This will likely be a short blog because we only spent one night in Ghent, but we were both extremely impressed without short stay. Ghent has the feel of a medieval city complete with canals and cathedrals. First, we stopped to get some drinks and a few pre-dinner snacks at a brewpub that Megan and Todd enjoyed on their previous visit. Gruut, the brewery, is quite a contrast to the old bars and breweries located throughout Belgium. The inside is completely renovated and modern. Surprisingly, Gruut is the only brewery in operation in Ghent. After our trip to the brewery, I learned that Gruut is actually a medieval term for plants and herbs that were used to flavor and preserve beer before hops were utilized. Obviously, hops won that battle, and gruut fell by the wayside. The brewery Gruut claims to use the old flavor technique, and no hops are used in its beers. Gruut currently brews five varieties: amber, white, inferno, brown and blonde. The beers we sampled did not taste dramatically different from what might be expected, but they did have a more subtle spicy taste than what we found during the remainder of our trip. Overall, it was a great brewery to sit and chat with friends. I would highly recommend a visit. Below is a photo of my beer, the amber, and some chips that C enjoyed.

After leaving the brewery, we walked to the old city center. The river running through the city is called the Leie and provides some of the best scenery we enjoyed during our vacation. A quick walking tour of the city center provides great views of the belfry, Saint-Nicholas church and the cathedral. The Gravensteen is an old castle that sits in the midst of the canals. Unfortunately, it was closed when we were there, but you can see how impressive it looks at night. It is really easy to walk and explore the canals. Nearly every turn provides another picture-taking opportunity. Various pictures are posted below.

Too bad we would not spend more time in Ghent, but we had to get back on the road to Bruges, which is a short trip west of Ghent. I would definitely like to return to Ghent at some point in our lives. We spent the next two nights in Bruges, which was fantastic. I have plenty of photos to share and beers to explain. Until next time....