I have been told I have a sweet tooth.[1] And while my dentist may not love that about me, Gent[2] appreciates me for who I am.
Gent, and Belgium as a whole, is a treasure trove of fantastic foods – fries, waffles, chocolate, just to name a few. Gent specifically, though, is home to a number of different confections and candies. One candy shop, Confiserie Temmerman became my favorite object of fascination – quite a feat considering there was a remodeled post office only a couple blocks away. I spent an hour peering in through the shop window the evening I arrived to prepare for the hour I spent the next day pestering the shopkeeper with questions about the candy – an actual kid in a candy shop.[3]
Despite my momentary distraction with all the options available, I had come to Gent for one candy in particular: the cuberdon. Also referred to as neuzekes, or “little noses,” for their conical shape, these candies are traditionally violet with raspberry flavoring, but have since branched out to other parts of the rainbow to keep up with modern tastes.[4] You can buy cuberdons in several places around town (including Confiserie Temmerman), but there are two shops known for selling cuberdons from carts. The owners’ feud has become the subject of fascination for several papers across Belgium. Several incidents occurred in the name of candy sales, including a full-on street fight in front of a group of bewildered German tourists that resulted in the suspension of both vendors’ licenses for two weeks.
I figured that any city with a story like that was bound to be a match for my travel tastes, and I did make it to the carts (although I couldn’t bring myself to start yet another round of cuberdon clashes). But oh ho ho, did I underestimate just how much I’d love this city.
I loved all of Belgium, but Gent, in particular, was a time. There’s a museum of torture in the middle of the city, and although I did not have the chance to go in, its mere existence gave me more than enough to wonder about. Perhaps not that far of a leap from the torture museum: there’s a (fantastic) restaurant called Balls & Glory, that specializes in meatballs – it’s too easy to make a joke for that. A bakery called Julie’s House serves yet another Gent specialty that is essentially an ironed bagel filled with cinnamon sugar and butter. There’s a bar/café that looks like a bookstore (it’s entirely filled with books and the bartender looked like Zendaya), that I discovered while tracking down Graffiti Street.[5] I could go on for several pages, but the point is – I love Gent.
And the sprinkles on top to convince you that this is the best city? There’s an abandoned monastery on the outskirts of town.
St. Bavo’s Abbey, or Sint-Baafsabdij, was built in the 7th century in an attempt to convert the locals to Christianity and continued to expand for centuries. In revenge for the revolt of Ghent in 1540, Emperor Charles V ordered the destruction of the abbey.
What’s left of the abbey is only open a couple of hours a week, and luckily I was in town for those few hours. However, I did waste a not-insignificant chunk of that precious time trying to figure out how to get into the ruins and gardens. It was a while before I realized that the garden wasn’t enclosed and there were no tickets to purchase, much to the amusement of several Flemish teenagers watching me. There was a door that I was fairly convinced was forbidden, but I entered regardless,[6] only to spend the next 30-45 minutes hiding in foliage and behind ruins anytime I heard someone approaching. It wasn’t until I left that I realized that that area was open to the public as well – which I only figured out because the front gate was wide open with a sign announcing its weekly opening.
And all that time being super sneaky – while completely epic and totally cool – only made me a little pressed for time. I may have entertained the Flemish youth that much more by sprinting across cobblestones back past the apparently public abbey while alternating between dragging my carry on and attempting to carry it like an incredibly difficult child up the hill to make it my train on time.
I did make it, though.
[1] On National Ice Cream Day, I once dragged my friend around to all of my favorite ice cream places within an hour of my house and got my usual order at each place, including a massive ice cream sandwich, double scoop cone, and heavily topping-ed cup.
[2] Sometimes also spelled Ghent and originally known as Ganda in Latin.
[3] One was a marshmallow-y candy called “nun’s bottom,” so you can understand my enthusiasm.
[4] The candy is rumored to have been inspired by cough syrup that was left out and hardened but remained soft on the inside – which tells you a bit about the texture of the candy. I will assure you, though, that the taste is nothing like cough syrup.
[5] I trust you can figure out what this street is known for. Again – does not disappoint.
[6] I know, I’m a rebel.
Anna Bribiescas says
Yes, you have always had a sweet tooth!