ORIGINAL AND ENTERTAINING GHENT

GHENT IS ENJOYING A RENAISSANCE RIGHT NOW, PERFECT FOR DISCOVERING ROMANTIC CANALS AND ORNATE MEDIEVAL GUILD HOUSES, A GRAND GOTHIC CASTLE AND MONUMENTAL CATHEDRAL, STUNNING STREET ART AND INNOVATIVE MUSEUMS. SHOPPERS BROWSE TEMPTING FLEA MARKETS AND HIP FASHION BOUTIQUES, WHILE FOOD LOVERS CHOOSE BETWEEN MICHELIN-STARRED FINE DINING AND SURPRISING FLEMISH CUISINE. GHENT IS AN INTIMATE, ECO-FRIENDLY, AND BOHEMIAN CITY, EASILY DISCOVERED ON FOOT, WHERE LOCALS RESERVE AN ESPECIALLY WARM WELCOME FOR VISITORS.

For my Ghent weekend I cannot resist booking into the latest hot address, 1898 The Post, the old mail centrer transformed into a cool boutique hotel overlooking the city’s bustling main square. But what a shock as the taxi pulls up in front of a magnificent Neo-gothic palace that looks more like a king’s castle than a humble post office! Yet, it is just typical of this surprising destination. Wandering down a quiet lane behind the hotel I suddenly come out at the water’s edge of the Leie River, whose two quaysides, the Graslei and Korenlei, are lined with magnificent guild houses. The scene is unchanged from the Middle Ages when Ghent was one of Europe’s wealthiest, most powerful cities, founded on the international trade of grain and wool. The river leads into an idyllic maze of waterways, resembling a Venice of the North, and I can’t resist jumping on a tiny pleasure cruiser, which glides beneath the impregnable battlements of the Castle of the Counts, past churches and abbeys, a striking Baroque fish market, and redbrick industrial warehouses converted into art centers, fashionable hostels, and shopping malls. Apart from explaining the history, our chatty guide, Erwin, proudly points out, “This boat is silent because it is electric, just one of the ecological, sustainable initiatives we pioneer in Ghent, from permanently banning cars from the center to organic food stores and bio restaurants, recycled fashion and design boutiques.” Erwin also tempts me with his description of

the waterside Patershol neighborhood, where I set off on foot as soon as we disembark.

Plunging into a labyrinth of narrow cobbled alleyways spreading out behind the Korenlei, I discover that the Patershol is an enchanting mix of tiny medieval craftsmen’s cottages and grand merchants’ mansions. Today, these have been transformed into stylish boutiques like Sjapoo, showcasing the elegant hats of designer Ria Dewilde, the dazzling sculptural lighting illuminating the Blue Poodle Gallery, while in a gilded mansion, is Temmerman, Ghent’s favorite sweetshop, where eight generations of the same family have been making speculoos gingerbread and

cuberdons jellied fruits. In between a cosy bakery-cumtea shop run by a immigrant and a Vietnamese street food diner, I discover the newly opened Roots, where a brief pause for lunch turns into a lengthy gourmet meal. The no-choice five course tasting menu is inspired by the Flemish Foodies’ philosophy of using seasonal, organic products. Young chef Kim Devisschere tells me, “I am determined to be daring, irreverent with my cooking, so a chunky cod fillet is flaky, almost rosé in color, but poached to perfection, as are the garden peas, delightfully crunchy, just as they should be. Succulent veal cheeks are served juicy and moist, while smoked mashed potatoes are complemented by fermented celeriac then topped off with a plump oyster. All kilometer-zero, local products.”

Tempted to head back to the hotel for a siesta, I resist and spend the afternoon exploring two of Ghent’s most fascinating museums, both hidden away in Patershol. The House of Alijn is housed in an ancient almshouse where the dollhouse rooms of whitewashed cottages surrounding a landscaped garden recreate daily Gantois life in 1900: baker, butcher, pharmacy, shoemaker, candlestick maker. The unique Design Museum is a much grander affair. At the sumptuous Rococo palace, which is partly preserved, partly transformed by modern minimalist architecture, I pass through salons filled with lustrous 18th-century furniture through to imaginative contemporary creations by Le Corbusier, Ron Arad, and Ingo Maurer.

The weekend in Ghent begins on Friday, more precisely in the Friday Market, where scores of colorful stalls are set up in the grand Vrijdagsplatz square and where all of Ghent turns up to do their shopping. I can’t resist the cornucopia of seafood harvested from the nearby North Sea, and fishmonger Frankie Vanmandegehem, who has been coming here for 28 years, insists, “Don’t go without trying our matjes, traditional marinated herrings.” And, yes, they are delicious with a portion of crispy frites sold at the square’s frituur, chip stall –this is comfort food at its best. Two minutes from the Vrijdagsplatz and I walk into a myriad of bric-a-brac stalls that fill St. Jacobs square each morning from Friday to Sunday. Where to start? Art Deco lamps, vintage clothes, retro toys and games, delicate Chinese

porcelain. There is something for every budget, and a dozen sunny café terraces for a steaming cup of hot chocolate and

brioche, the perfect break before you shop till you drop. I always feel that visiting a local market is always the best way to take the pulse of a city, and Ghent has many to choose from, as on Sunday there is still time to visit a noisy, tweeting bird market, perfumed, colorful flower stalls, as well as markets devoted to books and handicrafts.

Despite all this hectic sightseeing, don’t imagine that Ghent is one of those sterile “museum cities” that goes to sleep after dark. With a lively 50,000 student population, there is an eating out scene, while nightlife goes on until the early hours. Finally I settle down for dinner in the elegant salon of Vrijmoed, where two-star Michelin chef, Michael Vrijmoed creates whimsical yet challenging dishes, such as beef carpaccio stuffed with smoked eel sorbet, or vegetarian sushi concealing crunchy baby broccoli and pea puree.

Then the fun begins as my waiter whispers his nightlife recommendations to me. He directs me to Ghent’s party hub, around the Vlamsmarkt, where techno lovers head for Kinky Star, while I end up at Charlatan, a legendary dance club. The DJ there tells me that Ghent has a genuine cultural feel, whether it is musicians playing in bars and clubs, often for free, or Graffiti Street -Werregarenstraatje- an open canvas for street artists and paradise for Instagrammers. From arrival to departure, this fun, original city just never stops surprising me.