Belgian Rail had a Christmas rate for 11 euros (round trip) that applied for some weekends and the days leading up to Christmas, so a day trip to Ghent was definitely in order. As with our previous trip we took the tram into town (this time to Gravensteen), then made our way to the Waterhuis aan de Bierkant for cheese and beer. This time we sat upstairs, where several children were running around.

mmm, cheeeese! and mustard too.

Tierenteyn-Verlent mustard shop is just across the square, so our next stop was acquiring some of their delicious mustard for ourselves and for gifts.

Graffiti alley was quite a disappointment on this trip, with only a few interesting works.

 
(check out our E&L Gallery for more graffiti shots)

The Christmas market was our objective for the rest of the late afternoon. Probably the most festive of the three markets we tried, the Ghent market was dominated by food, with chocolate, cheese and condiment stalls and several large food tents with beer, wine etc. We definitely enjoyed the energetic atmosphere.

 
view toward Saint Nicholas’ church and the belltower

Leandra stopped into Chocolaterie Luc Van Hoorebeke, where she picked out a gift box of chocolates for Eric’s parents to thank them for watching the dogs. These were some phenomenal chocolates, and we will definitely return here the next time we are in Ghent.

Ghent is a great city to visit, easy as a day trip from Brussels, and hopefully we can stay in town and explore more on our next trip.