The motorhome parking
area is almost directly below an elevated section of a busy motorway
and the noise during the night was continuous. This was not conducive
to a good night's sleep and we decided not to stay a second night.
However we didn't have to leave until later in the afternoon so that
gave us time for another trip into Gent's old town.
Our main target was the
Castle of the Counts that we had passed but not visited yesterday. It
also gave us the opportunity to wander through more of the streets
not covered by the tourist information trail.
The castle, once hidden
behind a mass of mediaeval houses, has been fully restored and the
tour allows exploration of the whole building. It is a very strategic
position at the heart of the city and the confluence of the rivers
Scheldt and Leie. Some of the rooms are dedicated to instruments of
torture used in the castle and elsewhere but on a brighter note, the
views of Gent from the walls are very good.
Emerging from the
castle we had a beer sat outside at a small bar in the square that
sold a variety of Belgian beers and, rather surprisingly, Mythos a
Greek beer. Talking to the owner it became apparent that he is a
Greekophile and has a house in Crete that he visits regularly.
Pictures, road signs and other Greek memorabilia adorn the bar –
ouzo and retsina are also available!
Next stop was a small
café
for our last opportunity for chips with mayonnaise, although I must
admit that I have bought some Dutch mayonnaise so that we will be
able to have the odd treat at home.
On then to France,
just. Hondshoote is only a handful of kilometres from the Belgium
border and here we found an aire in a much quieter position than the
one in Gentbrugge. I walked into the town centre to find a
supermarket for bread, eggs and pasta before we decided to have just
bread and cheese for tea – those chips with mayonnaise were very
filling.
Photos: The Castle of
the Counts; The fish market square as seen from the castle; The
Belgian beer was excellent!
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