Ghent - Round Two

The past few days have produced some of the nicest weather we've had in months, so yesterday we decided on a whim to take a daytrip to Ghent. I went there last Fall with our friend Johanna while Carl was back in the U.S., so this was my second visit, his first. The weather was absolutely gorgeous all day long - in the low to mid 50's F, no wind and not a cloud in the sky! It made for some really nice photos compared to what I got last Fall, so I decided to post a few despite the fact that you've already seen some pictures of Ghent.

Ghent is quickly becoming my favorite place in Belgium...it's attractive, historical and friendly, but not too touristy. One thing that did disappoint this time: the canal cruise. When Johanna and I did one last September it was in a small, open-air boat and was excellent, but probably because it's winter now they weren't running those boats (even though the weather was MUCH nicer than it was in September!). The one we ended up on was enclosed and had about three times as many people on it. At times it was so loud that we could barely hear the captain's commentary, and it's hard to take good pictures through glass. Based on the three canal cruises I've now taken (two in Ghent, one in Amsterdam), I would HIGHLY recommend the smaller, open boats over the larger enclosed ones if you have the choice!

Photo #1: canal view in the old city. Right in the center you can see the canal cruise boat we took - to be avoided if possible!
Photo #2: a kayaker and his trusty companion paddling one of the canals - too cute!
Photo #3: a great little pub that I've now enjoyed on both of my visits. This is also the spot where the "good" canal cruises depart when they're running - note the covered open-air boat at the bottom of the frame.