When I mentioned to my colleagues that I will be going to Ghent during the weekend, everyone said the same thing: “Great! One of the most beautiful cities in Belgium. I would want to live there.”
What makes this city so attractive, you ask? Everything. Being a Belgian city, it obviously has a lot of history. It has an old town that is full of tourists, but not as many as in Bruges. It has shops, museums, restaurants, canals, exploring boat trips, pick-pockets, and much more. I would say that you could divide people into two categories. On one side you would have those who are passionate about Bruges and its medieval atmosphere, buildings, and overall feel. And on the other are those that stand by Ghent.
Where do I stand? I bought in Ghent a coffee bean grinder that has a titanium blade which makes the grinder more durable and more consistent during its years of service. I would say enough said, right? It has a chestnut handle; the body and the container are made out of an aluminum alloy 6063; the handle and the central axle are made out of an austenitic stainless steel 17Cr18Ni9.
Where is it made? Where was it designed? China. Yes, it is fully made in China, and it came together with a quality certificate as well. If I am not mistaken, then this is the first object that I own that is legitimately Chinese. You know what? The quality is exceptional. See for yourself.
During the weekend you can get from Brussels to Ghent paying only 12.00 EUR. You go by train and in less than an hour you are there. The train station is going through a rebuild but that is not such a big deal. Outside the train station, you immediately find yourself looking at a lot of bikes. And those are plenty, thus you must always be on your guard so as not to walk on the bike lane. Trust me.
From the train station to the old town is roughly a 40-minute walk. Streets are narrow, public transport mixes with cars and bikes and people. I admit I have not seen and felt Ghent like I have Brussels. I have been to Ghent three times, and all three times I walked the same road and saw the same things. Thus my impression of the city is quite limited.
Nevertheless, it is still worth visiting again and again. One of the reasons why I will be going there again is due to its food culture. It has a ton of restaurants and cafés that need exploring and tasting. Until now I have only eaten there fries, cheap pizza, and chocolate. For a person who likes to call himself a foodie, this kind of experience is unforgivable.
WAY SPECIALITY COFFEE ROASTERS is where I bought this grinder. Guess what my lovely woman told me when she picked up the grinder? She likes the feel, and she would even want to grind coffee beans now. Note that before this grinder she hated grinding coffee beans. So this is huge. The coffee in this place is also amazing. This time I ordered filter coffee and from this day forward I will try to only order filter coffee at coffee shops. You may ask why. I will blunt: “Just try it yourself.”
Kind regards,
Olaaf
Photo credit: Laurukaa
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