Adventures with Arthur

Waking up at 8am is usually not an enjoyable activity for me, but today I did just that. I had planned the night before to meet up with my friend Arthur in Ghent in the morning and needed to catch a train. Finding the train station was quite the challenge, in fact I still have no idea where the main entrance is. An elderly Australian couple approached me on the street while I was looking at my map and asked where Brussel Centraal station was, which is the same one that I couldn't find. They eventually spotted the metro part of the station, which I thought was the train station. A cashier at the ticket counter told me he didn't speak English, but he called over a co-woker who laughed at me and pointed me in the direction of the train station. At first I thought he was an asshole, but then I realized I was trying to get to a city 45 minutes away...on the subway. Waiting for the train I met a bunch of British guys who were cool and recommended the Jazz Festival to me upon return to Brussels.

I got off the train in Ghent and took very little time to find Arthur. Apparently that was fortunate because I would not have been able to call him, as his phone was out of minutes. Arthur and I hadn't seen each other for two years, when he was in New York. It was great to see him, and have someone with me who knew at least a little bit about the city. We walked around what seems like the whole city, often going in circles(Ghent is pretty small both in physical size and population). I had never seen a city like that before, well intact mediveal architecture, canals, and small winding streets make for a really beautiful urban space. The construction going on only detracted slightly from the aesthetics. We sat at this cool cafe on the canal and enjoyed some delicious Belgian water, which I had to pay two Euros for. Who charges for water, seriously what the hell. Belgian waffles were next, and everything you've heard about them is true. I could eat nothing but waffles the rest of the time I'm here. After much persuasion, Arthur convinced me that I could not come to Belgium and not at least try Belgian beer. It was horrible, I doubt I'll ever do that again. Oh and apparently Stella Artois is the cheap shitty beer in Belgium haha. Ghent is in my opinion much nicer than Brussels; the city is beautiful, has more history(the treaty that ended the War of 1812 was signed there, among others), and the Flemish people are generally more approachable and more willing to speak English.

When I returned to Brussels I checked out the Jazz Festival. It took place all over the city, but the biggest part was of course in Grand Place. Free outdoor music is always great, so it was nice for sure. However, the crowds were crazy and it took a long time in between bands. I found a place that claimed to be New York style pizza and it was pretty good, and I guess about as close to New York as I will find in Belgium. All in all it was another good day in Belgium.