My mum and dad* are currently on the Eurostar and about to make their way across the channel. After a few years living at opposite ends of Europe, it’s nice to know they are now only a train ride away.
It will be the second time they have visited me in Belgium. Last time, the weather was pretty miserable but they said they loved Ghent in all its greyness nonetheless. Which is reassuring because this weekend is not looking at all promising on that front.
So, on that note, here are a few recommendations from their last trip for visiting Ghent in the colder, wetter months:
- You can get great coffee and read in the warm and dry at Le Bal Infernal. You can even swap your finished book for one of the ones that line the walls.
- If you want a cosy place to grab a drink in the evening and don’t fancy a typical Belgian beer, The Cobbler at 1898 the Post is a somewhat hidden bar with a pretty unique selection of cocktails.
- Beiruti is a great place for dinner. I love the covered terrace in the back of their Ghent restaurant, which allows you to sit outside even on colder days. You can choose dishes to share (as intended) or keep your favourites for yourself (“Joey doesn’t share food” style).
- The Plantin-Moretus museum in Antwerp is great for spending a few hours out of the cold and in a pretty special building full of books. I promise it’s much more interesting than a book museum might sound and Antwerp is less than an hour away by train.
That’s all for now, tot ziens!
*You can find some of my dad’s writing on Medium here. I blame him almost entirely for my book-hoarding tendencies and the habit of having at least 3 to 4 books on the go at any one time.
