We got up at the ridiculous hour of 5am. It’s actually not as bad as it sounds as the sun starts coming up at 4.30am. We left early to try and avoid the rush hour traffic around Farnborough and as a result, we arrived at the Dover ferry terminal 2 hours early. It was just as well, as Mike spent about an hour trying to fit the low beam adapters on the headlights.

The crossing to France took 2 hours, and it was nice and calm. We had planned to drive as far as Breda in the Netherlands, but at 4.30pm we decided to stop at Ghent in Belgium and are glad we did. It’s a picturesque town with buildings dating back to 942. That’s 942, the year. We are talking over 1000 years ago!

We stopped at the first hotel we saw and negotiated free parking and a room with a view overlooking the square and cathedrals and other old things. We headed out for a bit of sightseeing and found  a crowded restaurant which we figured must be good. Even though it was freezing, everyone was eating outdoors overlooking the river. The waitress sat us at a table between two other couples, banquet style.

I ordered a giant pot of mussels and Mike had the sardines. Oh, and we had the Westmalle Triple, a wonderfully fragrant beer designed by monks. The alcohol content was 9.5%. To keep with the triple theme, I had three of them. Say no more!

Drinking Westmalle Triple

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium