Ghent by Night

Perhaps none of it happened.

13 January 2014

The Eurostar got us to Brussels.  From there we took an overcrowded train and stood for the half hour ride to Ghent.  By the time we had settled into our hotel room, the sun had gone down.  We wandered through the old part of the city; when I get photos of the architecture by daylight I'll post them here.

I wasn't going to bother with the camera at all until we found another one of Jack's kin hanging out in a chocolate shop:

One of Jack's Facebook friends wrote,


"Okay you're going to have to trust me on this, as it's quite odd and basically fodder for whenever they start filming the Belgian version of "Hoarders", but you really need to go get a beer at a place called Velootje on Kalversteeg (2-4) in the Patershol next to a slightly dive-y Turkish restaurant. No food, just beer, and only whatever the owner feels like giving you. But there are dozens of amazing restaurants near by and it is such an experience it is worth some stalking to find it open. You'll only know you're there by a pile of bicycle-related junk outside unless someone has finally done something re: enforcing a health code. It kind of defies description except it's only open in the evenings when the owner feels like it, it's where bikes go to die, it's a deeply unsafe fire hazard lit by small candles and shrines and you really need to see it."

We found it.

Gingerly, Jack pushed open the door. "Good god!" he said, and pushed back a thick curtain that led to a small room, lit by candles and a fire. A white-bearded man in a Christmas sweater and knit cap approached. "Beer?" he asked.  We ordered just one.  I asked permission to take pictures, to which he agreed without hesitation.  He gestured to the end of a cluttered table where two people were already sitting, and lifted a red book.  "You must write in here where you are from," he said, and disappeared.

You really need to click on these pictures to take it all in.

While Jack paid for his beer, I took a look at the kitchen.

Outside again, I said, "That didn't happen."  Jack wasn't sure either.

We're convinced that if we pass by tomorrow, Velootje will not be there.

Tomorrow we will see the city by daylight.  For now, here it is by night:

We're looking forward to breakfast because we saw this in the breakfast room: