Hi there - noob here.

[indysteel]

Thanks for the link, Kate, I'll definitely have to check it out!

PS: You came to Belgium on your honeymoon? I'm so sorry to hear that....

Just kidding. Glad to hear you liked it. I absolutely love Ghent!! Everybody always rants and raves about Bruges, and I do think it's a lovely city, but I think Ghent is a lot nicer. I live near Brussels now, but I spent some of my childhood about ten miles north of Damme, at the coast.

(I'll take this opportunity to add that I'm not all that fond of my home country. Wait, let me rephrase that. I would absolutely love Belgium if it weren't full of Belgians.. )

Several people both here and on another cycling forum strongly suggested that we stay in Ghent over Bruges. I'm so glad we took their advice. Bruges just felt way too touristy and crowded, while Ghent--which is equally lovely--felt like a real, living city. Minus the fact that my husband had a sinus infection while there, we had a wonderful time and are dying to go back. We spent part of the trip in Paris, too. I will admit that we spent one cold and rainy day in Brussels. My husband was so sick and the weather was so miserable, I can't say that we enjoyed the city. Plus, I found the people in Ghent to be much nicer. Admittedy, the prevalence of very well spoken English there really helped.

We highly recommend a B&B in Ghent called Simon Says. We just loved it. The owners are Brits if that helps! They helped get my husband to a medical clinic and pharmacy, on a national holiday at that. We were very grateful.

I'm not overly fond of a lot of Americans either. Perhaps we're just too close to our countrymen to appreciate them.

ETA: We loved Damme, too, btw. What a lovely area to spend part of your childhood--at least to us.

[Bikerkippie]

Several people both here and on another cycling forum strongly suggested that we stay in Ghent over Bruges. I'm so glad we took their advice. Bruges just felt way too touristy and crowded, while Ghent--which is equally lovely--felt like a real, living city. Minus the fact that my husband had a sinus infection while there, we had a wonderful time and are dying to go back. We spent part of the trip in Paris, too. I will admit that we spent one cold and rainy day in Brussels. My husband was so sick and the weather was so miserable, I can't say that we enjoyed the city. Plus, I found the people in Ghent to be much nicer. Admittedy, the prevalence of very well spoken English there really helped.

We highly recommend a B&B in Ghent called Simon Says. We just loved it. The owners are Brits if that helps! They helped get my husband to a medical clinic and pharmacy, on a national holiday at that. We were very grateful.

I'm not overly fond of a lot of Americans either. Perhaps we're just too close to our countrymen to appreciate them.

ETA: We loved Damme, too, btw. What a lovely area to spend part of your childhood--at least to us.

Off-topic alert!!

Bruges is very touristy and to be honest, I think it's quite overrated, but don't tell anyone I said that.
Ghent has a lot more going for it, IMHO. Did you go to " 't Gravensteen" (the big castle in the middle of town)? Did you take the obligatory boat ride down the canals? If you didn't, you simply have to if you ever go back to Ghent. It's a little tacky, but I learnt so many new things about a city I thought I knew perfectly well.

Brussels sucks. 'Nuff said. Unless you are shown around by a local (feel free to give me a call if you ever make it back here), the tourist traps are notorious and plentiful. It's so dirty too. Urgh.
Paris, on the other hand, is absolutely wonnnnnderful. I lived there for 7 months and I loved. Every. Freaking. Second. Of. It.

Another city to consider on your next trip to Belgium is Antwerp. It's where I work, and I just love going for bike rides through the city during my lunch break. There is just something about that city, I can't quite put my finger on... The locals have a bit of a reputation for being abrasive (and rightly so) but they're much nicer to Americans than they are to their own countrymen.

I'm not sure if it is the closeness to other Belgians that makes me dislike them. I've never felt like your typical run-of-the-mill garden variety Belgian, to be honest. I guess I'm a bit of an oddball. I've lived in 5 different countries and I simply know that there are far better countries out there, or rather, people.