Weekendje weg

With a fantastic historical center occupied by a very Bohemian population (and a subtle touch of anarchism),  topped with world famous food, chocolate, and beer, puts Ghent on the top of our list for a short weekend away.

 Beautiful weather brought everyone out to the old wharf to bask in the sun...we loved the urban dog culture.

Some of that beer, chocolate, and Bohemia that I mentioned. 

 A lovely mix of old and new along the canals made for some great exploring.  And a mish-mash of bars being hosed out in the university quarter reminded us of Calico's back in good ol' IUP.

 The 12th century castle towers at the edge of the city...ominous oversight of the medieval population.

Friday market at night.  Approaching from the north through the heavy industrialized zone and ports operating at full traffic jam, stack-spewing capacity (don't these folks know that we're in a global recession?), we were pleasantly surprised when we crossed the river and the charm of old Ghent quickly unfolded.  Our hotel was just off this market square.  Ghent's gritty side keeps the tourists focused on the next town over (Brugge), but was immediately comfortable and "real" for us.  It's a definite "redo" on our destination list. 

All of this relaxation in Ghent paid off on Sunday when we headed into Amsterdam for the Marathon.  It was a stunning day and we both stormed in with record 1/2 marathon times.  Now, back to the grindstone...