Ghent to Brussels by Bike

It was pretty busy getting out of Ghent this morning as the streets were full of commuters – all of whom were on bikes! We checked out of our classy pad on the edge of the red light district, and wove between cyclists, as we linked various cycle ways out of the city.

It was a fine morning to be out and as a change to recent days, not a breath of wind.

We were happy to be out of the hustle of the city and back in the countryside. The route should have been about 55km, but a few hours in, we realised that the Garmin GPS had had a bit of a malfunction and we were heading south to France rather than east to Brussels! We re-routed a track that got us back to where we needed to be. It took us through some interesting terrain, including sun flower fields, Blumen Picken meadows, over a duel carriage way (thankfully by bridge!), a Ross several railway lines, along some rough tracks, cobbled streets and even past the odd windmill, so all in all, we put it down to an additional scenic tour (albeit an addition 15km one!).

At one point however, we both got a bit concerned about how long the bumpy farm track would go on for!

Luckily, both us and our bikes held out and we found refuge on a bench outside a church to rest for a bit.

We’d only had one previous stop, outside a town hall, but were able to get a few extras for lunch at a shop nearby. Good job too as we were both feeling tired by the 50km mark…

Finally ‘Brussels’ appeared on the signs – we were closing in!

The final 10km into the city was mad. So much traffic! Mostly we were protected by cycleways, but once in the city, the bike lanes were generally on the road edges. Most of them involved going the wrong way up one way streets (bikes are allowed to do this). Clare was up front navigating and racing towards oncoming traffic to catch green lights on the crossings, so I just did my best to keep up and react in time to the twists and turns! With no chance of a campsite around here, we’d booked a hotel in the city centre. Great for walking into the Royal Square later, but it did involve some full on traffic negotiating to get there. We were relieved to arrive unscathed and get the bikes stashed safely inside (For a €20 parking fee!!!).

After an ice cold bottle of water, a shower and a change of clothes, we set out again on foot to see the city sights. Clare had been here on a work trip last winter, so guided us in to the main event – the ‘Grand Place’. But our first stop was to sample a ‘Classic Brussels Belgium Waffle’ with strawberries and cream.

It tasted as good as it looked and after 70km of riding, was despatched very quickly. Then, just around the corner from the waffle house, was the impressive square. We found an empty table at one of the cafes and ordered a cold glass of wine so we could take a seat and soak up some of the limitless details. (Ordinarily we’d just sit on a bench somewhere, but since being in Paris with Mo, my standards seem to have changed/been upgraded!) Ha ha!

We seemed to have timed things well as the sunlight was just leaving the square and the buildings were glowing in the low sunshine (as were we, after the glass of wine!).