Tell Me Where to Go

[fauxklore]

(For facebook folks, I think you might have go directly to Livejournal to do polls)

There are good fares (including discount business class fares) to Europe over Thanksgiving. I am contemplating a few options. Note that the only one of these places I have never been to is Barcelona, which also allows a short excursion to Andorra. Also, while I have been to Amsterdam and Bruges, that was 30 some odd years ago.

[Poll #1784330]

Comments

[piefessor.livejournal.com]

Barcelona is awesome, but Brussels is my favorite city, so I vote Brussels! I find Bruges overrated, and I say go to Ghent instead. Ghent (via Brussels) is therefore my vote!

But Barcelona is awesome, so I'm not too sad it's winning.

[fauxklore]

Brussels wasn't on the list mostly because I've been there fairly recently. I know next to nothing about Ghent so I'd love to hear why you suggested it. (It does remind me that it's also been ages since I've been to Antwerp, which is also a great place.)

[piefessor.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love Antwerp too! When we went to the Netherlands for my sister's wedding last summer, that's when we did Belgium; we went back to Antwerp and Brussels, and then decided to go see Ghent.

(Disclaimer: I am biased towards the Flemish parts of Belgium because I speak Flemish!)

So, most everyone loves Bruges, and maybe it was all the hype, but I found it underwhelming and kind of touristy-preserved, almost like a Disney town. Ghent is also a medieval city, but it felt much more authentic to me. And because it hadn't been hyped up beforehand, it felt like more of a discovery. (I am now ruining that quality for you with my hype, I realize.)

Things I loved about Ghent that you might also enjoy:

1. The medieval-style architecture mixed with the vibrancy of a college town, making it a great city to walk around in, with a very "local" flavor. The boat tour (although full of tourists of course) was also fun!

2. The Van Eyck alterpiece in the Ghent Cathedral! Although it was being restored and is behind glass, it was well worth an afternoon to see it and learn about it: one of the most amazing pieces of art I've ever seen.

3. Awesome little museums that are right up your alley: we went to one of the beguinages (these were community houses for single women) and to the folk museum in town. Terrific little off-the-beaten-path museums. And the beguinage we went to is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

(As a side note, have you been to the Belgian Congo museum in Brussels? Fascinating. If not, I will give you my pitch for that.)

Here is a picture from the boat tour:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16539699@N00/4794499313/

Of the folk museum:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16539699@N00/4795124644/in/photostream/

If you decide to go, I will hunt down the name of the restaurant where we had the best waterzooi in Belgium!