Baasrode to Dendermonde to Gent – May 29/13 – 50 km

Once we got off the barge we rode into the centre of Dendsermonde to the town square. Another gorgeous city centre and city square.

From there we rode out into the countryside and through the small villages in Belgium. This included across the top of a set of canal locks and a bike/passenger ferry to the other side of the river. About 2 hrs into our ride it started to rain a little so we stopped at a local pub/bar for a coffee/beer and lunch. Another interesting thing about this small village was the Automatic Bread Dispenser set up outside the local corner store. After this stop we got back on our bikes and then the rain really started. It went from a slight drizzle to a full fledged down pour. By the time we got to the city centre of Gent we were wet and cold.

Brenda and I headed to a local cafe and had a coffee to warm up and after 40 minutes we got back on our bikes to ride to the barge which was moored out of town about a 1/2 hr bike ride.

Thankfully the rain had slowed to a light shower and we made it back to the barge for the evening. The hot shower never felt better and we had clothes hanging all around our cabin trying to dry out.

For dinner we had a delicious, warm and a bit spicy tomato soup, followed by breaded pork cutlets and a vegetable casserole which included tomatoes, eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini and a top of layered thinly sliced baby potatoes with a bit of sprinkled cheese. Dessert was 2 different types of ice cream with a drizzled cherry sauce and a chocolate filled with a jellied cherry centre.

After dinner at 9 p.m. the Captain and our tour leader Jack hosted a Belgian Beer Tasting event. We sampled about 6 or 7 different beers; from the start with a 5% fruity beer, through to a 8% specialty beer called Duvel which is one of the most popular of Belgian beers.

Tomorrow we are off to Brugge.