Sep 20
Exploring Ghent on Captain Kenneth’s boat…
2004 at 08.45 am posted by Veerle
Yesterday evening Kenneth (our PHP programmer) invited us to go sailing with his boat. We explored the lovely downtown of Ghent. The first two photos are actually a funny story. The shots are taken from the restaurant/bar boat across Decascoop (big cinema complex). We dropped anchor right next to it and ordered some drinks through the window, so it was a kind of a sail-in :-) Kenneth also used the window to go to the restroom as you clearly see on the picts :-p
So after Knokke this is the second photographical journey through Belgium. The picts are all from downtown Ghent when the sun was almost going under and they are taken from the water.
12served
1
Is Ghent like Venice? Do canals run all through and across the city?
It looks like a little toyland. Picture perfect! :) What is a “Graslei”?
2
Is is just me, or are the forms on the page (The mailing list, search form
and the comment form) sticking out of their column width?
I’m using Opera 7.54. (800X600 resolution monitor) :-?
3
@Gob: Never been to Venice but yes there are several canals that run across the city. Graslei is the name of the place and in English it means “The Grasses Qua”.
At the Middle Ages there was a port, making it the nervous centre of the city. On both sides of the “Graslei” there are houses from 12th to 17th century. More pictures can be found here.
In my Opera 7.54 everything looks okay. If memory serves me right I seem to remember one person that had this too and it was because he changed fonts.
4
Wow, your PHP programmer have a boat like that?
Is just me or the rest of the country here is not paying very well PHP programmers here ehehe? :-)
5
It’s a very lyrical name! Maybe the toymakers of today, got inspired by
these quaint old homes. In olden times beauty came from within
the heart. I don’t see the same ole charm in the glass cased
buildings of today, they are cold and impersonal. For instance,
compare the Apple building to the others in the album above.
Apart from the apple logo, the rest of its facade is not even half
as charming as the old world houses. Just my thoughts, however. :)
Thanks for the link!
PS: I’ve everything set to Author-mode with the page
style-sheet and fonts. Puzzled. :-? But, let that not bother
you; its of very little consequence.
6
Where is that AppleCentre in Ghent? I have not noticed it during my visits :-(
7
@Milanek: That Apple Center is on the “Koophandelsplein 25” that’s nearby the “Veldstraat” the main shopping street.
8
“Vrie waaze fotoos!” ;-)
9
Hi, Kenneth here.
@Taq: don’t worry, it’s only a small boat with a small engine (70 HP). Does 65 km / H though ! Actually, Belgium is a great place to go boating around on a sunny day when the wind stays down. My boat even conquers the North Sea when the weather allows.
I HAVE been to Venice several times (3 times in total I think) and it cannot be compared to Ghent. Venice has more canals than streets. Ghent unfortunately is the other way around, but still, most of the important and old buildings can be visited from the water.
My girlfriend wants to take the boat through Bruges, which must be the most beautiful cityin Belgium to explore from the water. I’ll ask Veerle to come with us, so stay tuned. In exchange, Veerle, will you let me play around with your xserve some more?
10
@Kenneth, yes please do play with that cool thing ... :-D Actually our “DarkStar” is waiting for you :-) And yes Bruges would be wonderful, it’s my favorite city. When will we go? Probably in Spring next year?? Weather is terrible at the moment bah! :-(
11
After Knokke (where I reside), now Ghent (where I study and live). Wonderful!
About Bruges: I heard a funny story once from a tourguide. He said two Americans came to him and asked him what time the park closed. The tourguide asked them which park. The Americans waived ther hands around and said: “All this”. They actually thought the whole of Bruges was an amusement park. They did not know people actually lived in those houses.
12
@peter: VERY FUNNY ! :-) typical!