ghent for the broke, slightly soaked, and slightly hopeful

woke up to 15c and a blanket of fog. not metaphorical. literal. walked outside and immediately questioned my life choices. why did i think ghent was a good idea? maybe because the hostel sign said ‘budget friendly’ and i’m a budget student. turns out, budget friendly here means ‘freeze your fingers off while waiting for a bus that only comes every 47 minutes’. but hey, the rain makes everything cheaper. literally.

quick answers

q: is this place worth visiting?
a: depends. if you like being indoors, buying sweaters, and yelling at tour guides who think ‘entertaining’ means miming a baguette, yes. if you want sunshine, no. it’s a city of ‘here you are, deal with it.’

q: is it expensive?
a: money is relative. a pint’s 6eur. a hostel bed’s 12eur. a properly overpriced croissant? 5eur. if you’re not buying 10 coffees a day, you’ll survive.

q: who would hate it here?
a: people who hate rain. people who hate cold. people who hate free things. like, everything here is either a scam or donated. also, tourists who think ‘ghent is just a small bruges’. it’s not. it’s a city that hates tourists and shows it.

q: best time to visit?
a: not in may. not in july. maybe october? by then, everyone’s gone, the rain’s still there, but you can find a quiet café and pretend you’re in a painting.