My weekend started on Thursday. That day, I finally decided to venture out for a Belgian beer... it was on my lonesome, but a night out nonetheless. My roommates were happy to suggest a place just down the street called the Charlatan. I took my journal with me, so I would look like I'm doing something very important. Really, it was just there for a pint and some people watching.

On Friday, I went to a party with my new friends from Dutch class, including three Finns, two Hungarians, and an English girl. The party was organized by a Polish student group, and took place at a bar called the Pinut right near St. Peter's Abbey (what a location!) We had a lot of fun... The drink special was the Mad Dog, a vodka shot with raspberry syrup and a bit of tabasco sauce. Mmmmm? The bar was packed and by two o'clock, everybody was in a very good mood: all the flat surfaces in the bar were occupied by dancing, hopping, or at least swaying students, the music was... well, an interesting mix of pop and dance, with some Polish tunes thrown in the mix. Here, they don't close down the bars at any particular hour, so it was up to us to leave. Finally, right before four o'clock we decided we were pretty beat and trekked home.

UPDATE:

Here are a few photos from that Friday night. And that's St. Peter's Abbey in the background of the 2nd pic... postcard perfect.










Saturday was a lazy day, spent trying to find a decent sandwich place, wandering through the city streets, taking a few photographs. I visited one of the churches near my place, St. Bavo's Cathedral (there's a photo of the exterior below, labelled with it's Dutch name: St.Baafskathedraal). Parts of the building date back to 942, although the current exterior was more or less completed in the 16th century. It is currently undergoing some renovations, but it's still a beautiful structure. When we were there, the harp and organs were playing, completing what can only be described as a spiritual experience! The church is home to a very famous painting, The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, which dates back to 1432 (this is just a google image since you're not allowed to take pictures inside):



The painting consists of 12 panels, eight of which are painted on both sides. The lower left panel was actually stolen in 1934, and has now been replaced with a copy... Some people claim they know the whereabouts of the original, but by now most believe it has been destroyed.

And now for a couple of photos from my lazy afternoon. Here is one of my new Finn friend taking a picture of the Town Hall with the Ghent Belfort in the background:



And here is a photo of St. Nicholas' Church: