After a few days in The Hague, we leisurely made our way to Ghent in Belgium for the second conference on the books.

We spent another night in The Hague after a packed day of post-conference social events. The plan had been to take the train down to Ghent in Belgium but that was a little more complicated than anticipated, and slightly more costly. One of our fellow conference goers was taking the bus which was almost the same duration and had no stops, so that became the option of choice.

As always, navigating the public transport system in The Hague was a breeze. We made our way to the bus station, and after a little confusion on our part, were able to board with ease. If you have any reservations about getting around the low countries, you need not worry. Reliable and reasonably priced public transport is everywhere. If we didn’t have a schedule and I was by myself, I might have even considered a cycle. The flat terrain is perfect for biking.

Ghent was another surprise. It hadn’t made it onto my radar and as a result, I had low expectations. There are so many amazing places that I will never think twice about until visiting. There is no shortage of things to do (or eat, for that matter).

The historic centre is really picturesque with beautiful canals and the imposing Castle of the Counts (Gravensteen). It’s worth doing the comedy audio guide tour around the castle if you’re thinking of a visit. Wouter Deprez, a Flemish comedian, guides you through near millenium of history in a hilarious fashion. I wrongly assumed the comedy wouldn’t translate, but the English tour is tremendous.

And there was no way we were leaving Ghent without trying Belgian fries on several occasions. And beer, of course.

One of the oldest buildings on the waterfront (originally a grain warehouse) is now home to a decent burger restaurant called Manhattn’s. It’s a great use of the space with seating downstairs and mezzanine flooring showing off the period features. It reminded me of Prysten House in Plymouth city centre which itself dates back to 1498. Although it’s a modern use for the building, it’s still sympathetic with exposed wood and stone everywhere. Some of the renovations felt a bit more enthusiastic than would be permitted in the UK, but the fact it’s still being used after centuries is pretty cool.

We went for the history. But also burgers. I can confirm that it did not disappoint. They weren’t the best burgers ever (an accolade that goes to a burger joint in Kyoto, followed closely by SmAshland and Zephyr Burger in Plymouth) but they were surprisingly good for a restaurant in one of the most touristy parts of the city. I normally try and avoid the very centre for decent food; Manhattn’s Burgers was a pleasant exception. It’s a perfect stop after a river cruise which I would also highly recommend.

This has rapidly turned into an exclusively food based post. Is there more food yet to come? Of course! Fries are one thing, but one can never forget one of the most iconic foods in Belgium: the humble waffle! There was nothing humble about the waffe I had, topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce. The packaging couldn’t handle that much action and almost immediately disintegrated.

The conference went smoothly, and we whisked ourselves back to Amsterdam via a couple of trains which was largely painless. The transfer in Antwerp was tight but we made it in reasonable time. And boy was it good to be back. The last time we’d been together was 2017 and I found all of the charm I remembered in the myriad canals and side streets. Everywhere you look is a beautiful piece of design. A perfectly organised living room. A modern but historically respectful house. It’s such a pleasure to wander around in a warm summer’s evening and take in the surroundings. Unfortunately this was another short trip for us as we were back on a plane again at 1pm the following day, bound for an excruiating journey to Bristol via Edinburgh (easyJet strikes).

It wasn’t long before we were headed off again. A little over a day later we were sitting on a plane at Heathrow bound non-stop for San Francisco…

It’s just travel

I mean, it mostly has been over the last month. I did get playing a lot of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and also rediscovered Death Stranding, and embraced a new-ish release, Astro Bot.