When I boarded a train in Brussels to make my way to Ghent for a day trip to explore the city, something felt off. Sometimes when I’m on a solo trip a touch of loneliness or homesickness creeps in and it usually dissolves pretty quickly. As I disembarked in Ghent and started walking toward the historic city centre I chalked up the feeling to the grey skies of the day and the threat of rain and put it out of my mind. It helped that after crossing a few interesting squares on the way, my first stop of my day of wandering here was in the beautiful Patershol neighbourhood.

This is the medieval heart of the city with lots of curving alleys and narrow passageways. It is also one of the areas to find spectacular food in the city, but I was too early for that type of adventure. I liked it this way – quiet, with only a few others exploring the quaint streets well before the hour of noon.

Along my meandering route, Gravensteen Castle emerged. This beautiful fortress dates to 1180 and has had a host of purposes over the years – a home for royals, a court, a prison and many other uses. It was overtaken in 1949 for a purpose I could get behind… students stormed and overtook the castle protesting a tax on beer. Sadly, their demonstration was unsuccessful as the tax remained.

I was still holding onto that feeling of something not quite right as I made my way to the Leie river and one of the most picturesque locations in Ghent. I was enjoying the grey skies and the moody backdrop to the gorgeous architecture along the water here so I ruled that out as influencing my mood.

As I made my way down to the river and took a seat to admire the views I came to realize I was starting to feel sick. My energy was fading, the start of a sore throat was settling in and all I could think was…. I hope I keep my sense of taste because I have so many beers left to try before flying home. Maybe knowing why I was feeling off all day was a blessing as after a spell resting here, I felt better spiritually, even if I was sliding downhill physically.

From the river I climbed up to St. Michael’s Bridge (the bridge in the above photo) and put on the best smile I could muster as my attention started turning to where I would grab lunch.

But before lunch, the views…. Wow. From the bridge I enjoyed spectacular views in all directions of Ghent. Sometimes on trips I have a lightening-like moment of “I’m really in <insert place name>!” and that was the case here. I felt small (in a good way), far away from home, and clearly and perfectly in Europe.

Spirit recharging after standing on the bridge, I made my way to Bier Central for lunch and to try a couple of their more than 300 Belgian beers available. I can’t remember what I had for lunch, but the Saison Dupont was spectacular and is widely considered one of the benchmarks for the style in Belgium. Enjoying it while lounging on a patio in October was a special part of this day.

I continued exploring Ghent by stopping in at St. Bavo’s Cathedral. Construction of this church started in the late 1200s. It was truly breathtaking and beautiful inside.

I planned my walk around the city in a large loop from the train station, and I knew that would leave a more modern site to near the end. I was excited to visit Werregarenstraat, a narrow lane with street art and graffiti that was an interesting juxtaposition to all of the gothic architecture surrounding it. This injection of colour and whimsy put some wind in my sails.

Before the final leg of the walk back to the train station, there was time for one more patio beer and people watching overlooking a historic square. Orval was my choice for some peaceful sipping – it is one of the best known of the Belgian Trappist ales. It’s a delightful, if somewhat unusual tasting beer due to the strain of yeast used – spicy, earthy, bone dry and even a bit leathery. Somehow I had managed not to have an Orval until this moment in my life. It was a perfect ending to a day in Ghent and dulled my impending illness just enough to make for a pleasant train ride back to Brussels.