To Ghent, Belgium(Part 1)

2024/7/10

After two nights at the airport,
I had a meal and a shower in the lounge and headed to Belgium.

Characteristic Barcelona tableware
at a duty-free shop

I somehow feel a sense of good old Japan
in this pattern...

At the airport lounge

First decent meal in a while...
Spain has a wide variety of hams

And I arrived in Belgium at 12 noon.

I took a bus from the airport and headed to a city called Ghent.

In fact, in February of this year, I met a young Belgian man when I was entering Bulgaria from Romania.
We got on the same bus and arrived in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, early in the morning, before dawn.

Photos from that time

Although Wolluff and I only had a short time together, we ate bread together and enjoyed conversation while introducing ourselves to
each other.

Wolluff's hometown is Ghent,
so I contacted him, but unfortunately he was traveling and not there.
But he messaged me saying:

‘’Ghent is definitely the most beautiful city in Belgium so I highly recommend it!!‘’

After hearing his words,
I immediately canceled my accommodation reservation in the capital, Brussels, and decided to go to Ghent instead.

What is his enthusiasm for recommending his hometown, and more importantly,
what is the city where he grew up like?

As I've said many times before,
the most important thing about traveling is connecting with people,
so it was inevitable that I would head there.

And then I arrived in Ghent.
The photo shows the train station near the bus stop.

I ate the famous Belgian waffles
that I found in a trash can,
as well as French fries and chicken nuggets.

When I arrived at the hostel in the city center and looked around I was truly amazed.

Wolf was right,
what a beautiful townscape…!!

The beauty of a city is not just about its physical structure.
I think it is something that is felt through a combination of various elements,
such as a calm and elegant atmosphere, and the balance between the scale of the city and the size of the buildings.

Ghent was a truly wonderful city
in that respect.

St. Nicholas Church

View from
St. Michael's Bridge

Saint Bavo's Cathedral(Right side)

Everywhere I look there are beautiful views.

On the way,
I took a break in an open space.
Damn, I should have bought a Belgian beer...

The city is vibrant yet peaceful.

After a few hours of walking,
I was back where I started.

I returned to the inn and rested while waiting for night to fall.
To be honest, I was tired from spending all my time at the airport, but I wanted to see the nightlife of the city.

The scenery was so amazing that I ended up with too many photos,
so I've decided to split my diary of this day into two parts.

The night will be shown next time…

This is the view even from a shared room
in the cheapest hostel.

How amazing...!!