Ghent/Gent/Gand/Gaunt

The city that's never spelled the same way twice! Another bizarre manifestation of northern Europe's complex and troubled history. Today, though, we had a non-complex and untroubled time.

We met up with our friend-from-long-ago, Luk, after an uneventful car trip from Lilles. International borders are less than a formality in the new EU, and it was an interesting experience to have the only indication that we'd entered a different country being the understated "Welcome to Belgium" sign by the side of the road.

At any rate, our first stop under Luk's expert guidance was a street cart where a very nice woman was selling some of the most fantastic hot chocolate I've ever had. She figured out the recipe herself, and I know for sure it had cinnamon, nutmeg, and chili pepper in it (not sure what else), and it was completely invigorating. I need to try and replicate it once we're home!

Then we wandered around a bit, looking mainly at Renaissance-era churches (St. Bavo and St. Nicholas, the former being the city's cathedral) and the ornate and distinctive Flemish architecture. Here are some shots:

The riverside.

Another batch of architecture, with a thousand-year-old castle in the background.

A bit of the interior of St. Nicholas's Church.

Houston and our friend Luk. I asked him if he minded if I posted this photo on my blog. To which he replied, "Is it a blog, or a blague?" I was so proud of myself that I actually got a pun in French ("blague" is French for "joke").

The castle in all its glory.

The tour of the castle — called the Gravensteen — was fascinating. There wasn't a lot in the way of furnishings or explanatory signs, but the castle itself is amazingly well-preserved, and one's imagination can gallop around visualizing tapestries and servants and long wooden tables near the fire and the sound of armored feet on stone floors and the smell of the (very graphically described) latrines. There was also an exhibit of weapons through the ages, as well as a "museum of torture devices," which I actually didn't end up spending much time in, as I found it more than a little disquieting. The experience as a whole, though, was definitely interesting and well within geek territory.

We also focused lots of our energy on food and drink, these being things that the Belgians seem to do extremely well. We purchased some amazing chocolates — sweet and smooth and subtle — and some assorted other candy (like mango-and-strawberry nougat and honey marzipan), which we haven't tried yet. We ate beautiful, crispy, big waffles with whipped cream. We drank more hot chocolate, this time without the spices but with more whipped cream. We had stunningly good beers (emphasis on the "stunning" — I don't recall what the alcohol percentage was, but it was pretty major). And we ended up getting some very nice celery soup (Margaret had tomato) with croutons and cheese, served with rolls and an apple, for our actual dinner. Ghent really knows how to feed people. (So it's not just France that has the good food!)

Most Belgians speak several languages. Luk speaks four or five, maybe more. Oddly, French isn't as common as I would have thought. As the day progressed, and I spent more and more time just speaking English with Luk and Houston and Margaret, and with shopkeepers and restaurant servers (as I don't speak either Flemish, German, or Dutch), I could physically feel my brain slipping back into English-speaking mode. Tomorrow, when I have to wrench it back into French-speaking mode, may end up being a bit of an ordeal. Hopefully it will be an easier transition than it was last week when we arrived in Paris. (It seems to increase the difficulty that I swap between English and French every 30 seconds or so, whether to translate for Houston and Margaret or just to talk with them. It makes it very hard to get into a French-speaking rhythm and stay there. My brain hurts.)