This is going to be a larger blog...one meant to summarize several experiences I've been through here in Gent:)
First night in Overpoort, 11 February- a bit empty, possibly because student were still home or coming back from home on that very evening. Such a bohemian intimate atmosphere
filling the pubs in Overpoort!! I wouldn't have believed that it's possible for a Belgian bar to have something in common with an Irish pub, a French bistro and a Dutch coffee shop :) really unique moments spent there, while sipping a Kriek(their incredibly tasty cherry beer).
Moreover, Gent at night is absolutely stunning. Close to the Gent University Complex the lights are dim, the streets are narrow and the buildings are overwhelmingly inviting... Rock'n'Roll Avenue, or the Speakers' Corner only manage to make wish to prolong my stay as much as possible, in order to keep so long a contact as possible with these genuine bits of true European culture. Taking a simple moment for oneself while crossing the street in a junction can become a breathtaking moment of pure revelation. I am lucky to be here, part of this unique city. I really am.
Today, the 12th of Februray, we got lost on the way to Mariakerke Campus. On the way back, our nerves got rewarded with candy from a huge shop that sold piles of jelly, wafers, candy and gum. Paradise, indeed :)
Buying books in an ancient bookstore close to Oude Houtlei enhanced the sense of completion, in a strange, and yet, pleasant manner. I guess I know the secret now: it is the mere bookstores, avenues and candy shops that make me feel here in a way I thought only books can depict. The shoes hanging above the streets. Or the bicycles pedalling continuously on the cobbled streets. And perhaps the people...The magical ingredient that makes the world go round... Belgians are more than simply nice, sympathetic or "good folks". They like living life to the full. They listen to music while driving the bus, they smile while helping you put your new shoes on, they even help you with luggage in case you can no longer go on... I'd like to say that it's fantastic, but I'm afraid that using words might diminish the intensity of the sublime feelings I am experiencing here, even while writing this humble lines...
So I love Gent...I think that I am starting to become part of it... Feeling like home in the photos sent back to Romania is not little, I suppose. Simply hope the feeling won't go... God, help me take advantage of everything as much as possible!!!