We had an early arrival (at 8:00 AM) in Zeebrugge, Belgium. We were going on a Holland America tour called Ghent & Belgian Chocolates which didn't leave until 11:30. So we had a leisurely breakfast in the Lido buffet and then got ready to leave. While getting ready, I googled "Ghent weather" and found that it was supposed to get to 91 degrees! I thought that had to be wrong, so I checked the official government meteorological site and they said 33 degrees C (which is about 91F) with strong thunderstorms in the late afternoon. So we changed to lighter weight clothes and took along our rain gear.



Ghent is about a one hour drive from the port of Zeebrugge . On the way our tour guide, Valerie, told us a little about Belgium and Ghent. The name of the port, Zeebrugge, means the sea near Bruges (or Bruges port). The port is a large commercial port for Belgium and has lots of container ship traffic and multiple ferries going to various other European ports. Belgium's population is 11MM and it is 307 times smaller than the USA. It has two main parts, Flanders where they speak a Dutch dialect and Wallonia where they speak French. There is also a small German-speaking region. Belgium gained independence from the Netherlands in 1830. There are 5 Belgium "goodies" that we should try while here: beer, waffles, fries, chocolates and the "red noses of Ghent". The red noses of Ghent are a nose shaped sweet fruit candy and are typically strawberry (so red), but also come in other flavors. There are 125 breweries in Belgium and more than 500 Belgian beers. They even have several fruit flavored beers that are popular drinks for women. Beer brewing began in monasteries for health reasons -- beer was healthier than the water .

Ghent was founded in the 7th century. Its original name was Ganda. Ghent is known for its well-preserved medieval city center including, the castle of Ghent and the 3 towers. The castle was built by a count both as a fortification and a symbol of how important he thought Ghent was that he would built it there. The three towers are the towers of St. Nicholas Church, St Bavo's Cathedral and the Belfry.

When we arrived in Ghent, the bus dropped us off just outside the city center. It was as warm as they predicted -- the thermometer on the bus said it was 32 degrees C and it was sunny. We walked across St. Michael's bridge (which was partially blocked because they were getting ready to film a movie there), then along the river's Old Port area with its gabled guild houses and old brothel (now a Marriott hotel). The former brothel is identified by the swans on it. Two swans facing each other form a heart and is a symbol of love, while two swans facing away from each other is the symbol for a brothel . We passed the Castle of the Counts and met a vendor selling the red noses of Ghent (actually called "cuberdons"). We bought a small bag of the noses to try. They are something like gum drops, but gooey inside, which makes them seem too sweet. We walked through the meat market, with the popular Ganda hams hung from the rafters to dry (they are dried for about 3 months).

We arrived at the cathedral square where we could see the 3 towers. On the square was a chocolatier where we were given a demonstration of how fine hand-made chocolates are produced. He made some buttercream-filled dark chocolates and some hand dipped milk chocolate marzipan. The keys to making the chocolates were starting with good chocolate, of course, and having the chocolate at the right temperature. We were given samples of both of the chocolates he made and we agreed that the buttercream-filled dark chocolates were the best candy we had ever eaten. The buttercream inside was very soft, like buttercream frosting, and was just right with the chocolate . We each ate 3 of them!!

After the demonstration we had time to walk around the area. We visited the cathedral and walked down a couple of the nearby streets. I bought a cherry Belgian beer to try because our tour guide told us it was her favorite. We had intended to go back to the chocolate shop to buy some to take with us, but we decided that despite their being the best we had ever tasted, we didn't need all the calories. We met the guide at the appointed time and walked to where the bus was to meet us. After about a 10 minute wait we were on our way back to Zeebrugge. It was a pleasant drive back. In addition to the beautiful countryside out our windows, they showed a short film about Belgium on the bus.

We got back just at all-aboard. We had dinner in the dining room and then went to the show, which was a comedian named John Joseph. We enjoyed the show and then went to karaoke in the Crow's Nest bar (no, we didn't sing), where Happy Hour began at 9 PM. We listened to karaoke for a while, got a couple drinks and then went to the piano bar. Barry from Boston was playing '70's music and we stayed until he took his break.