14th November - Bruges to Ghent

Breakfast was so good at the little cafe opposite our accommodation that we returned there again today. We couldn't make any breakfast in our room if we tried - there isn't even a cup or a spoon. The rain was staying away and it was a pleasant 20 minute walk to the railway station, where we jumped on the first train heading to Ghent. 

Arriving there a little before midday, it was clear that the weather forecast for Ghent was pretty accurate, i.e. it was raining, but thankfully only lightly. Being us, we gave away the option of catching a bus and opted to walk the 20 minutes to the apartment which would provide our accommodation for the next three nights. As soon as we walked out of the railway station it was immediately obvious that Ghent is a totally different scale to Bruges. The buildings are typically four-storied or higher (compared to 2-3) and everything is much larger and more city-like. Cars, trams, buses and cyclists weave their way through the streets in a very orderly manner. There are few buzzers at pedestrian crossings but vehicles will readily stop if you walk out onto the road.

Inside Ghent railway station

Arriving in Ghent

Bicycles everywhere

We couldn't check into our apartment until 3pm but lockers are provided (for 5E) for you to store your luggage. We arrived at 12.30pm, fairly wet, and tried to book one of the lockers online. The website messed up but a guy turned up who must have been the manager. He opened a locker for us to use free of charge and gave us directions for finding a handy cafe or restaurant for some lunch. He was very helpful, and, as has been the case with everyone we have interacted with since we arrived in Belgium, was very friendly and welcoming. It's been lovely to be greeted so positively everywhere.

With our bags safely tucked away we put the umbrellas up again and walked 5 minutes to the closest cafe. Here I had a Flat White (so good) and we shared a tasty cinnamon pastry for lunch. After sheltering here for quite a while, and discussing our plan of attack for Brussels in two days' time, we came back to wondering how to spend the remaining and wet afternoon in Ghent. The weather forecast tomorrow is for a bright sunny day, so we're hopeful of having a leisurely explore around the historic centre then. As for this afternoon, we still couldn't check into our apartment for over an hour so opted to walk the 25 minutes into the old centre and just look about. 

In the end we walked right through the main area to the far side with the aim of checking out an older neighbourhood where a number of second-hand shops reside. Unfortunately, and possibly because it was such a wet day, most of them were closed. With no luck, and feeling quite wet by this stage, we spied another cafe to dry out and lie low in for a bit. John hadn't managed to find a decaf coffee so far today, and that's pretty much become a 'must' each day, so we dived in to get one. 

Feeling a little daunted by the wet walk back to our apartment we called it quits and caught a bus back to near our apartment. It was definitely the right call as the rain had intensified. It was just a short walk to a nearby supermarket where we stocked up on muesli for the next few days and bought some pasta and sauce to cook for dinner tonight. Our accommodation has a kitchenette so we are all set for the next few days. 

We also bought a bottle of wine at the supermarket and are enjoying our first glass of wine in ages. Beer is available here in vast supply. The restaurant we ate at a few nights ago had over 200 varieties to try, and there is at least one place in Bruges that has 400. We've been typically opting for the no or low-alcohol versions, but it is so hit and miss. With so many to choose from you really have no idea what it will taste like. Many of the beers on offer are 6-8% alc. 

It's been really interesting to see the bicycles being ridden everywhere. We are so used to seeing people in Nelson riding mountain bikes, whether electric or not, but those ridden here are typically completely different. The handle-bars are much more upright and they are designed as city bikes. They may have just one gear - since everywhere is flat. The transport system is heavily designed to cater for cycle traffic, for example stairways where there is a groove on the outside of the stairs for cycles to be wheeled up or down. 

Grooved channel on the RHS of the stairs for cyclists to push their bikes up or down

13 November - Bruges Walk

A great day today enjoying exploring the city of Bruges. At 120,000, it's pretty much the same population as our local nearest city, Perpignan, but feels much more mature. The huge annual tourist influx must make a difference. It feels like a much larger place, clearly way more affluent both in the past and now, and not remotely similar in any way!

There are many canals weaving their way into the city, and it is basically surrounded by waterways. Being in the Low Countries, there's not a hill in sight, and it still has 4 windmills of some 23 in times past. 

Breakfast was fun. My hot chocolate consisted of hot frothed milk, with a side bowl of chocolate chips to be stirred into it. Delicious. We walked about 18km today, doing a MapMyCity walk from one side of the old town to the other listening to the app's commentaries in the morning. The Basilica of the Holy Blood was particularly lovely, inside and out.

After lunchtime we walked around the perimeter to see the windmills and some interesting barges including an 1889 veteran.

Our walking route (in blue) inside the canal-ringed historic centre

It was raining on and off until after lunchtime, then came out fine despite a gloomy and damp forecast for the whole day. The low sun in the afternoon was beautiful, showing off the lovely autumn-coloured trees beside the waterways. 

We appreciated the architecture. It is very consistent, and the modern buildings almost all fit very nicely into the historic environment. The special buildings in the main squares were exceptionally decorative and complex.

The shops in the centre are mainly catering for tourists. There are literally dozens of chocolate shops, closely followed by waffle shops, then clothes and bag shops. In the outer areas there are lots of art shops and galleries. It's all very pretty, and there's so little traffic on the roads that walking and biking are very easy and popular. The whole central area is cobbled, and presumably has been for centuries.

9th to 13th November - Ceret to Belgium

The weather has clearly hit winter. We saw our first snow of the season on Canigou while driving back from Spain to Ceret yesterday, and we've had quite a bit of cloud and some spits of rain. Still not enough moisture in the ground to allow the council to start up our fountain or fill the town's little culverts with the normal running water.

After all the steps of the coastal walk, we had a couple of days off walking, though we are still trying to get through a 30-day online yoga course before we leave Europe this year. It will be touch and go whether we finish it.

We managed to catch up with a Swedish friend for lunch in the square below us. His arm was in a sling because he'd fallen and broken an elbow 2 days before. He managed to eat his meal ok, and was very chatty. He is yet another of our friends who is now looking to sell up. His Norwegian partner (who'd fallen and had a huge bruise on her face so didn't want to come to lunch and so be seen in public) has her house on the market and is planning to buy a summer home in Italy instead. Meanwhile, Mats is Swedish and he will put his house on the market next summer and buy a place back in Gothenburg where his grandchildren now live. Mats and Marianne will then split their time between Sweden and Italy. We now know of nine couples who are in the process of selling up, or are planning to.

With Ceret being very quiet at this time of year, and wishing to make the most of it as a base for exploring, we decided to jump at some cheap Ryanair fares on offer and booked to fly to Belgium. The fares give us a window of just five days, Sunday-Friday, and the flights are via Perpignan, so we can use the 1 Euro bus to get into town and back. It seemed too good an opportunity to miss.

The flight this morning (Sunday) was mid-afternoon so it wasn't a rushed start to the day. However we found out that bus services are fairly limited on Sundays, though we caught one into Perpignan bus station without a problem. There were then none for the 10 minutes trip to Perpignan airport. An Uber lift filled the gap, and was much cheaper than a taxi. The driver was a really nice guy and John enjoyed chatting to hm the whole way. We had a few hours to spare at the airport before the flight. It was a very windy day and we were expecting a pretty bumpy flight but it was turned out to be generally very smooth. John and I ended up at opposite ends of the plane because we hadn't paid Ryanair the extra fee to be seated together but it didn't matter. I snoozed for part of the flight anyway. 

We'd left Perpignan where the temperature was a very warm 20 degrees and arrived into Charleroi airport outside Brussels to cloud and just 7 degrees. For the next few hours we successfully navigated the bus into Brussels city centre, followed by the train from Brussels to Bruges and then a 15 minute walk to our B&B. By this time it was dark and chilly but there were still plenty of people out and about.

Our first impressions of Bruges have been delightful. We remember the two days we spent in Antwerp in 1982, where we loved the architecture, especially the guildhouses. The buildings here in the historic centre of Bruges are very similar. The streets are wide, paved, and largely pedestrianised, the shops frontages look very inviting, there are plenty of restaurants with outside seating complemented with outdoor heaters, and the buildings are lit up in the evening. There is currently a lot of activity going on in the main square with the Christmas market stalls being set up. 

The famed belfry tower from the movie "In Bruges"

Our host suggested a few places for dinner. The first one was fully booked but we found a spot in a bustling local eatery. We had a hankering for a burger and chips, something we haven't eaten for ever. Instead we ordered a couple of different pork dishes and a plate of vegetables. They were absolutely delicious, and we thought extremely different from what would typically be served in France. 

De Republiek

One thing that has struck us since we arrived is how much at home we feel here. For the first time in a few months we don't feel as though we stand out as 'foreigners'. We do when we are in France, Italy or Spain. Here we feel as though we look pretty much like anyone else. Seated at the restaurant, we thought we could so easily be sitting in an eatery in Auckland, Christchurch, Melbourne or the like. The only difference is that most of the people around us were speaking Flemish (Dutch). The first wave of European immigrants to settle in England in the 500s AD were from this area and further north in the Netherlands and Denmark (the Angles and to a lesser extent the Saxons). The genes that many of the British (and subsequently Australians and New Zealanders) inherited are very clearly in evidence here. It feels odd but very grounding.

Another difference we have noticed is that in southern Europe a bottle of water is invariably put on the table for you to drink during your meal. Not so here. You order beer, and then order another one if you are thirsty. I think the drinking culture of England, Australia and New Zealand has its roots in northwestern Europe and Scandinavia........

8th November - Sant Feliu Coastal Walk, back to Ceret

We woke to another lovely day, not feeling too tired from our hill walk of the day before. Breakfast was again at a cafe in the town, then we packed our bags, dropped them in the car and drove it to the port, from where the coastal track heads further north.

We've done the coastal walk from Sant Feliu to Port d'Aro several times before, but it is so beautiful that we were very happy to give it another turn. The track starts with steep steps to get to the top of the headland by the port, then more steps, more headlands, more steps and so on. The early part is more natural, above a beautiful rough coastline indented by countless bays.

The central portion around S'Agaro was clearly once a resort area where the extremely wealthy built opulent mansions overlooking the sea, then it finishes with a swoop around a crescent beach until it meets the entrance to Port d'Aro.

The wealthy section is amazing. The lovely wide track is perched on high stone retaining walls above the water's edge, with another set of retaining walls on the inland side supporting the fancy houses above. It must have been a massively expensive effort to build it. Who knows how or why it was funded - we imagine the wealthy might have used some influence.

Despite it being a weekday there were many walkers and joggers enjoying the track.

We were back to the car around 2pm, after 3.5 hours walking, and having negotiated some 3000 steps from 10cm to 40cm or more! A little taxing on the knees and quads.

We found a little cafe where we had a quick bite before setting off back to Ceret. The motorways north of Barcelona are now toll-free, which makes the trips quicker and cheaper. It was nice to be back in our wee apartment again, but noticeably colder than when we left.

7th November - Sant Feliu Hill Walk

The breakfast price for our B&B accommodation was over the top so we walked the 100m to the nearest cafe and had a tasty coffee and pastry for a few euros each instead. The cafe was in full swing, full of the Spanish enjoying their social breakfast-time together. It is quite something to see how the continental lifestyle lends itself to social interaction in a way that British-based cultures don't. To our mind it has a lot going for it.

Today we were putting our best feet forward and setting off on a decent hike, by 9:30am! The walk would take us into the hills up and behind Sant Feliu and would take about three hours. We'd done the same walk sometime before 2019, so knew what we were in for, which was some steady climbing. Our plan was to just take our time and enjoy it. 

Indeed, that is what we did. It was so nice to be out in nature again, and with our walking poles in hand. We have only done one other decent hike since we arrived in Céret this year, and that was in early October when stripping the blackberry bushes high in the Alberes/Pyrenees. 

Quirky house at the beginning of the track

Small building in ruins high in the hills

Huge lovely rocks in the area

Strawberry tree, native to the area

Panoramic view down to Sant Feliu on the coast and Palamos in the distance

Chief cameraman

Iridescent berries

Amazing rocks (great terrain for Neolithic dolmens)

Very happy to be walking on an historic Roman road again

We emerged from the rough terrain three hours later, well and truly ready for lunch. Checking out the Carmen Thyssen art gallery on the way back into town, it definitely was closed. However, we buoyed our spirits by having a fabulous 'Menu of the Day' at a little restaurant in the town square. 

John's razor clam entree

Carmen Thyssen Art Gallery

The late afternoon was put to good use - siesta time - and dinner was a repeat visit to Cerveseria Hot Dog for tapas.

6th November - To Sant Feliu de Guixols

It seemed time for another small expedition. We'd spent a very quiet week in Ceret, and we definitely had itchy feet. We'd also made the decision to do as much exploring as possible this year. A few months ago we'd spent three days in Palamos, on the coast east of Barcelona, which we'd enjoyed immensely. We were keen to return to the Costa Brava. This time we booked two nights at Sant Feliu de Guixols, which is a little further south down the coast from Palamos. We have been there is previous years, partly to view the exhibitions on display at the famed Carmen Thyssen Art Gallery. 

Unfortunately, this year the gallery is closed due to renovations but the town of St F de G is lovely and encircles a sandy beach. We didn't harbour any ambitions to go swimming in the sea at this time of year but definitely thought we could get in a hike or two. 

Leaving Céret at 9.30am, we arrived in Figueres, over the border in Spain, just half an hour later. Again, we'd hoped to visit the Technology Museum in Figueres, which we'd checked was open on Mondays (many museums aren't). However, this week the museum was closed from Monday-Wednesday for whatever reason, perhaps new winter hours, so that put paid to that idea. Not daunted, we found a carpark, wandered into town and explored a completely new area of Figueres, one that we didn't know existed. We kicked off by finding a cafe (of course). The cortados here (like a small flat white) are infinitely more robust than a comparable noisette in France. The Spanish use a different type of coffee bean and more ground beans per cup than the French. John's eyes lit up when he saw that churros and hot chocolate was also on offer. Churros is an extruded pastry which is deep fried, and used to dip into the hot chocolate. The hot chocolate itself is very thick and rich. It's typical breakfast fuel for the Spanish during wintertime.

John's churros and hot Chocolate, and my much more conservative cortado.

Coming from a different direction into the centre of town than usual, we walked through very clean streets full of interesting shops. There is clearly a strong interest in design here, from kitchenware through to lighting. We poked around inside a few, and would love to be setting up a new house here - there is so much choice for well-designed homeware at a fraction of the cost of back in NZ. 

I was also hoping to come across some quirky coffee cups to supplement the collection we have at home, a set of which we bought in Figueres many years ago. No luck though. The tourist shops lining the laneways close to the Dali Museum seem to have been completely overtaken by upmarket fashion stores. There was no mistaking that Figueres has really lifted its game, and we were very impressed by how clean and buoyant it looked. 

A statue of Don Quixote (perhaps!) in Sant Feliu de Guixols

Quirky horse and cow balcony accessories

John had Googled a small restaurant with good reviews for lunch. We rolled up at 12.50pm, and just caught the staff finishing off their own meal. It opened at 1pm. We were starving by then and they let us in. The meal didn't disappoint. 

By 3pm we were off in the car again for the 70-minute drive to Sant Feliu de Guixols. The narrow and often cul-de-sac lanes in the historic centre thwarted both Google Maps and us, so we parked in a large carpark not far from our B&B accommodation. After an easy check-in we did a quick scout around the beachfront. It was getting very cold, perhaps 14 degrees, so not much later on we opted to have an early meal and get to bed early. We had our eye on a tapas bar we had been to before, and, yes, the tapas was really good.  Shared plates of chiperones, anchovies and a few meatballs, did the trick. 

A tapas plate of chiperones (small squid)

Back to snuggle into bed. The temperatures are certainly dropping. It will be about 7 degrees when we wake up in the morning. When we were in the tapas bar we saw on Spanish TV that the beaches on the northern coast of Spain are coated in thick layers of snow!

31st October to 5th November - Ceret

The weather has changed. It's cooler, with perhaps a high of 16-20 degrees during the day. We're wearing trousers and sweatshirts for the first time, and it feels strange, but it's pleasant. The colder temperatures are very welcome but unfortunately the rain hasn't amounted to much. Drought conditions still exist.

We are still alternating lunches between baguette and cheese, and salad, and making simple meals for dinner. We don't go out to local restaurants very much at all, other than for a special occasion. On Saturday we decided to treat ourselves to lunch at the only restaurant open in the square below us. We'd been there once last year and I'd enjoyed a fabulous vegetarian salad (we'd taken a photo), and John's fish dish was very tasty too.

I planned to have the same this time around. When it appeared it didn't look nearly as good as last year's version. But what was abhorrent was that the sliced pineapple was very discoloured, the grapes half brown and the kiwifruit so see-through and soft it was like jelly. I nibbled a bit of pineapple but it was revolting. We called the waitress and she was very unpleasant. She began shouting and asking how much of the dish was unacceptable and stormed off. The owner (who is possibly the chef) wandered out a little while later. I used my best French to say the fruit tasted awful and the dish was not acceptable. John came straight out and said the fruit was rotten. The guy tried to explain it away by saying he had sliced the fruit yesterday and because the weather is warm the fruit doesn't keep long. It clearly hadn't been refrigerated then? He took the plate away and brought it back with markedly different fruit. One of the new grapes still had mould on one side, so he hadn't done much checking. We were really miffed. He could have offered a free coffee or something, but he wasn't interested, maybe because we weren't French, weren't regulars and weren't locals. We certainly won't be going back there, and will tell our friends about our treatment. It put an unpleasant shadow over the day.

On Sunday we chose a different route for our walk, one we haven't taken since last year. It goes past a waterfall not far from town. It was an enjoyable track, through rural land. 

Lovely stone steps set into a stone wall beside the waterfall track

To make up for yesterday's lunch debacle we treated ourselves to a pastry for lunch. Jean-Louis, who has the bakery under the town arch, makes the most delectable Jesuite in town. We haven't bought one this year, so today was it. It is quite ridiculous really - croissant type pastry, filled with cream and chocolate, far too big to fit on a lunch plate and all for a ridiculous 1.70Euro. 

A Jolly Jesuit

We have been enjoying a very quiet week. I'm deeply immersed in a 1500 piece jigsaw. We are both doing a lot of reading and John has started an Italian language course. 

Saturday morning dawned quite cold and threatening rain, but the market was still busy. We met up with Aussie friends for a morning coffee. They are heading north tomorrow for a two-week road trip through Germany and Switzerland. We bought some bread and fresh goats cheese and then finished off the preparations we had begun yesterday for lunch today. We had invited good friends for Saturday lunch. They rented our apartment here in Ceret for three months in 2018 while having a house built in a town closer to the coast. They are a retired couple (French/Luxembourgeoise) and who now spend half of each year in St Martin in the Caribbean and the summer here in France. 

We kicked off with bubbles at 12:30pm, and, after a four course meal and non-stop chatting, wrapped up at 6:30pm! We cooked duck for the main course and made a pavlova for dessert. It was a lengthy and most enjoyable lunch and afternoon. We won't have a chance to meet up again until October next year, (we've already pencilled in a date) though they are now very interested in visiting NZ (and Japan). They've invited us to stay in St Martin, and also use an apartment they own in Vienna. 

Le Comptoir was packed with patrons on Sunday morning. We're not sure if  Sunday was a special day or not, like last Wednesday was All Saints Day and therefore a holiday. Whatever the reason, it was lovely sitting at a table at Le Comptoir, enjoying the soft sunlight and listening to all the French chatter around us.