As the Netherlands are not soooo big country, its quiet handy to go on a daily trip in the weekend to a town in one of its neighbour countries. This time I have chosen Ghent in the Flemish part of Belgium. In French the name is Gand and in Flemish: Gent, so dont be surprised...
The charm of the town lies in its medieval architecture which is remarkably well preserved and restored. Its centre is claimed to be the largest carfree area in Belgium, may be thats why it was a big mess to find a parking lot on a Saturday. In the middle of the old city the castle Gravensteen (on the pic above) from the 12th century adds additional fairy-tale flavour. Within its century-long history it was used as a courthouse, a prison and a factory.
