Approaching Dunkerque
Docking in Dunkerque
Ah, it's great to be on the mainland again! Left home at 8:30 and covered 420km (260 miles) plus a channel crossing today - all without hitch. The main aim was to get here, so tick that box. I arrived before 19:00 local time, so had time to take a quick look at Ghent ...
I am staying on the Poort Ackere Monastery - built 1278 but the plumbing is definitely late 20th if not 21st century and it's worth foregoing the en suite bathroom and the telly for the atmosphere of this superb building. I definitely recommend this as a place to stay in Ghent; as well as a unique character it is right in the centre of this magnificent mediaeval city - walking distance to the many attractions.
Monday is not the best day to find a restaurant (this is closing day for most of them) but I found a bar on the Koophandelsplein that was wiling to rustle up a salad with warm goat's cheese and bacon. I can't find the words to describe the immeasurable pleasure of my first glass of De Koninck beer in at least 15 years!
Further fortified with a large glass of Oude Genever against the cold (accompanied by further libatory ecstasy), I undertook a quick recce on foot (yes, me on foot): checked out the Glazen Straatje on the edge of the Art Quarter (purely to see the magnificent listed architecture, you understand) and through the centre of the historical quarter past St Bavo's Cathedral, the Belfry, St Nicholas' Church, the Corn market and St Michael's Bridge. I plan to return to St Bavo's tomorrow to check out the art by Rubens and the van Eycks.
Also on the Ghent agenda for tomorrow is the SMAK and the MSK before proceeding via Essen to Kassel - so a busy day ahead.
Best get an early night.
Poort Ackere Monastery Hotel, Ghent
Poort Ackere Monastery Hotel, Ghent
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