An aside (and so early in the post!) but Belgium is basically divided into two linguistic communities—Flemish [Dutch] and French—so there are always two ways to spell everything (or three or four if you count English and German). When I started this post, Troy commented on my spelling of the town of Gent. Originally, I had it spelled as 'Ghent', which is how English-speakers write it, but ultimately changed it to 'Gent' (pronounced more like "Heh-nt" with that guttural "gh" sound at the beginning) as that is the Flemish spelling and we try to write things in their local form when possible. It probably seems odd to take all this space to explain the particular spelling of a place-name, but this type of thing is a fact of life in the political construct that is Belgium. So, in other words, welcome to our world.
Besides the language-tensions, another fact of life in Belgium is rain...lots of it. However, this photo is actually the only time I had to open my umbrella as we were graced with lovely weather for 99% of our time in Gent. I include it mostly because it is a shot of my favorite umbrella (and we have quite the collection). Cloche-shaped, it provides great rain- and wind-protection BUT since it is clear, you can still see all around you. Brilliant! And the pink is a bonus since all the umbrellas here seem to be black, otherwise known as boring.
People often describe Gent and its pretty canals as being like Brugge, but without all the tourists. We can attest to its medieval loveliness, but as our visit coincided with the Gentse Feesten (the annual two-week carnival-esque street party) we saw our fair share of tourists.
Being in Gent for the Feesten was a bonus, but our primary purpose was for jazz. A few months ago we learned that Jamie Cullum, one of our favorite musicians of any genre, was going to perform on the closing day of the Gent Jazz Festival. We found a great combo deal with a hotel in town and decided to make a weekend of it.
Inside the festival grounds, enjoying the late afternoon sun. In this shot I'm imbibing a glass of sparkling rosé which might sound sweet and girly, but most definitely is neither. It was chill, dry, and fabulous. (Fill in the blanks here with your own pithy puns and/or jazz metaphors.)
We chilled out back in the gourmet food tent area while some of the local acts were playing. They were great, but we were saving our energies to make a run for the stage for the last two sets. Showing his local beer props, Troy doubled the love by sporting his Cantillon shirt while tipping back a Duvel.
This is Melody Gardot and if you have the chance to see her live, DO IT. She is an amazing performer—honey-smooth vocalist with a dramatic-but-still-cool-as-ice stage presence and impeccable timing—and her personal story is really gripping. In 2005 she was badly injured when a car hit her while she was cycling. She turned to music as part of her therapy and voila—a jazz musician was born. Seeing her was an added bonus, but our real point in going to Gent was to see this guy (at the piano):
I first discovered Jamie Cullum five years ago while watching German MTV in my classmate's living room in Rome. I heard his song All at Sea and instantly fell in love with his music. His style is a quirky blend of jazz and pop, with classical and hip-hop influences. It's unique and witty and complex, and he put on one of the best live performances I have ever been to. If you get the opportunity to see him, pounce on it!
The day after the jazz fest, the sun was shining and the people were partying. The festival leant the town a lovely humming-buzzing air. Free music was happening all over town, buskers took over street corners, and all the museums were free. (Though who would want to be in a museum on a day such as this?)
We spent some lovely hours canal-side, enjoying a huge lunch and soaking up the atmosphere. And, in the perfect move to cap a wonderful birthday celebration, we discovered a bakery with cupcakes! All in all, adding a "1" to that thirty was not so bad after all.
Gent Photo Album - Click Here
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It looks like Ghent/Gent treated you well for your B-day! We went last year to the Jazz Festival and had a good time. I'm surprised to hear that you found cupcakes there! Also love your clear pink umbrella!
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