Gent - a Large Village

two of the oldest buildings in Gent

While we may think of Gent as a town or even a small city the locals call it a large village. This is perhaps quite apt as it does have that community feel even though there are all the facilities one comes to expect of a larger town. There are heaps of restaurants and most of them are pretty good too. Gent has a special affinity for vegetarians and even if the restaurant isn't specifically vegetarian it always has vegetarian options - and not just a salad compose. Apparently it has the highest proportion of vegetarian restaurants than any other European city. On top of that, Gent is a university town so it has a dynamic feel that goes with many students. There is also a Turkish quarter which was quite welcome as we have found the best turkish bread since leaving South Perth. The turks were imported to Gent to help with their textile industry and many stayed and set up a district around Portus Ganda so there are plenty of opportunities to eat gozleme, Pide, baklava and other turkish delights.
While staying in Portus Ganda we were invited to a street party where we got the chance to mingle with the locals, sharing food, drink, music (albeit country and western - go figure) and stories - a truly special night.

Our arrival in Gent was heralded by the Food Truck Festival - what a way to be introduced to Gent and the potential foodie scene.

I am so pleased to say that we will be spending winter here as there is so much to do and see. We have left most of the museums until then but we did go into a few churches and captured some of the amazing street art. There is a special tour in Gent called the Concrete Canvas Tour which highlights many of the local street artists.