FB12: Ghent and Gent

We slept late today and then went to Paris Nord train station.  We boarded a high speed Thalys train to Brussels.  This took just under an hour and a half and had a fully working high speed internet for free.  We transferred to a local train at Brussels and within thirty minutes, we had arrived in Ghent, also known as Gent.

Belgium has three languages. Dutch, spoken most everywhere, French in the Brussels area, and some pockets of German, according to the ticket booth attendant in Gravensteen Castle.  I asked how to say thank you in Dutch, and he said, "Dank yu"(phonetic).  

The Castle popped up seemingly right inthe middle of town, but was surrounded by water in the back, for about 2/3 of its sides.

 

It was a quick walk through the castle, with highlights of some suits of armor and weapons, along with a nice view from the top.



We spent most of the day resting, before going out for a walk at night.  In France, most restaurants closed during the day, and then reopened at 7:00.  Here, most places seemed to close down by 6:00.  The streets were mostly empty.  We walked down the main street and side canal and enjoyed the unique architecture and older structures.



Tomorrow, we will take a boat ride through the canals before heading to our stay in Bruges.