I had a lunch of local cheese and "meats" at a renovated Guild hall for Flemish Butchers. They are very proud of their sausages and cured hams in Belgium. The roof timbers of the hall are original and the carpentry was superb. I suspect it would do as a Guild hall for Flemish Carpenters equally well. The lunch was good and relatively cheap as it included a small soup, bread and a tiny salad, as well as a selection of slices of cheese and cured meat. I skipped the beer tasting, which was also an attraction. A neat clean operation, run by young energetic staff.
The churches and cathedral in the square are undergoing restoration (with borrowed EU money, as is the case in most other places I have visited). It is creating jobs but the cost, and the cost of the borrowing, is a bit scary. Somehow I do not see Belgium as one of the basket-case European economies but it seems the "borrowing" was endemic for all EU states.
In the afternoon I completed my bookings and confirmed 14 nights in a small Hotel/Motel in Barking, an outer suburb of London. I have a McDonald's close by and the Kings Arms Pub is within walking distance, hopefully they also serve food as well as beer. No kitchen and no Hotel breakfast, so I eat out a bit although there is a TESCO's in the area so I can buy fruit etc. I have the Underground station two streets away so have access to London. Next job is to line up a visit to the London Natural History Museum for a look at Bauer's Botanical paintings, particularly from Queensland.
Photo: I am drawn to serene canal views, and Ghent like all major trading cities had its canal system.
Photo(s) Two views of the main square, trying to avoid the scaffolding.
Photo(s): The caption should read "what is wrong with this picture", a weird old building with a steel and glass addition "melded" on.
The second shot sums up the low-countries for me; the bicycle, the canal, and the old buildings leaning in over the canal.
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