Meandering Paths: A Weekend Abroad in Ghent

Ever heard of a little place called Ghent?

I'm going to bet that you haven't. Ghent is a beautiful little city in Belgium, not that far from Antwerp. Ghent is about a four hour drive from Germany, so if you're studying abroad there anyway, you might as well check it out! For the romantic student, or for someone who grew up reading fairytales, Ghent is a dream come true. It's like a city that grew from the pages of a storybook. More than that, every night they light up all of the buildings so that they reflect on the central river, which is what you see in the picture above. It's magical, isn't it? But you'll need to kill some time while you wait for nightfall. So let's get started, okay?

If you're already in Germany, you can hop onto a train line in Heidelberg and find your way to Ghent in four hours, for about 150 Euros. As soon as you get there, you might as well go ahead and find yourself a place to stay. There is a youth hostel known as KaBa that has around thirty beds and will only cost you about 24 Euros a night. As a plus, it comes with breakfast, rooms painted by local artists, a kitchen, and a garden. It's beautiful and be counted as a landmark all on it's own.

This is the sitting room at KaBa. Isn't it beautiful?

So you have a place to stay, and now you need something to do. Well, you can get everywhere on foot. Let's assume that you hopped the eight a.m train to Ghent, arrived at noon, it took you an  hour to find the hostel and now it's one o'clock. Let's make an itinerary.

I'm willing to be that you're feeling pretty hungry. There is a lovely little cafe known as Simon Says on Sluizeken 8 that is run by an eccentric artist. The coffee beans are ground in house, and the atmosphere is really comfy.

Simon Says. Isn't it cute?

Once you've eaten, you might as well check out the more popular tourist-y sights until it gets dark. Visit S.M.A.K. It's Ghent's museum of modern art, and it's hilarious. It'll also only cost you 2 Euros to get in, so check it out. After that, head over to The House of Alijn for a nice change of pace. It's an area that has been kept completely in tune with the 1900s. There are videos to watch of the people who lived their lives there, and it's certainly a reminder of how far we've come technology wise.

If you have more time and are up to it, you may want to explore the castles. If not, try out Gwenola for dinner. They specialize in Belgian pancakes! Who can resist?

For your second day of your trip, you might want to check out the "secret gems" of Ghent. You'll want to look into the Graffiti Street, which is an alleyway painted by artists the the locals keep well kept for the sake of art. You can walk right through here on the way to the Millionaire's Quarter, which is a district where Belgium's brightest architects created their most prestigious houses. It's the most diverse selection of building styles you'll probably ever see on a single street. Finally, visit Saint Bavo's Cathedral. It's sort of like a history lesson and art museum in one. If you're brave enough to take the four-hundred forty steps to the tower, you'll be able to see the whole city.

St. Bavo's is known for the woodwork on the ceiling.

Here's a quick rundown of what you should check out:

Day 1: KaBa, Simon Says, S.M.A.K, and the House of Alijn
Day 2: Graffiti Street, Saint Bavo's Cathedral, White Cat for dinner

On Day 3, head back to the train station on Sunday after you grab a very delicious breakfast, and find your way home to Germany.

Good luck and happy traveling!
- Felicity