Except for a three hour nap this evening we've been awake for the last 34 hours. The non-stop overnight flight from Dulles was only 7 hours so with dinner and breakfast that left very little room for sleep. Hans thinks I got about an hour and he didn't sleep at all. We landed in Amsterdam at around 7 am this morning but it took until about 1 pm to reach the Belgian medieval city of Ghent by train. Early check-in wasn't available at the hotel this afternoon so we spent a few hours getting to know the old city center. It is still mid-spring here so the weather was shockingly chilly for me (DC was 80 degrees Fahrenheit when we left).
It was May Day, so most shops were closed, however there were a lot of festivities in the streets. Live music and food stands made our introduction to Belgium exciting:
Step 1: Waffles! Hot off the iron and unlike anything I ever had in America. It had a nice bread texture and crust to it. I had one with syrup, which was like a slightly sweetened molasses.
Step 2: Food! At dinner I had a Ghent speciality: waterzooi. It's a really lovely and simple chicken stew that is enriched with egg yolk. I think mine had carrots and leeks and couple of tiny boiled potatoes. Hans had carbonnade a la Flamande which is basically a Dutch twist on boeuf bourguinon. Instead of being braised in wine, beef is braised in beer and served with frites (the mayonnaise was amazing).
Step 3: Bier! The Belgian blonde style beer I had was nice and light. Hans had the local Gent Strop, which is named after the noose that Ghent dignitaries had to wear as punishment for rebelling against Spanish (and later Holy Roman) Emperor Charles V in 1540.
Another highlight of the day was a flea market inside a very old church. Well, a highlight for me. Hans was very bored by it.
So far the townspeople have been very friendly. I feel bad that I didn't take the time to learn more Dutch phrases before traveling. When I'm greeted in Dutch I've made a point to say "good morning" or "good afternoon" in English so they know I don't speak their language but tomorrow I'll try to master the pleasantries. At least dank je is easy for my American tongue.
Every time I fly out of Dulles I feel like I've gone back in time!
As seen at the Amsterdam airport. They know what I've come for.
Wandering Ghent this afternoon.
Gravensteen! On deck for tomorrow.
Belgium has a lot of beer
There is a city-sanctioned alley dedicated to street art
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