So the first full day of my time in Ghent consisted of moving from an AirBnB to an actual B&B.  I hop on a tram with 50 pounds of luggage, find out you have to have exact change to buy a ticket, then am told by two locals not to worry.
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“You are just going down the street, I am getting off at the same stop.  Besides, they only check twice a year for tickets.” -Reassuring words of a skater dude

(One of the many cathedrals that grace the city; one of many cathedrals that I still do not know the name of…)
I drop off my luggage, and head off towards the Historisch Centrum (Anyone guess the translation?). One of the first things I noticed was how hard streets names were to remember. Rozemarijnbrug, Papegaaistraat, Overpoorstraat, and Stalhof are the ones I have become familiarized with, and most streets maintain the 4,5, 6, or 37 syllable structure.  The city map has been my best friend as I navigate throughout the city.

I follow the Coupure Links north until I get lost in a Turkish/ Middle Eastern neighborhood. They do not seem to let the Pentecost weekend affect their daily lives- all shops are open for business.  Kebabs and other snack stands scatter the cobble-stoned streets as scooters fly through the traffic of cars.

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(This man had his boat parked on the side of the Coupure to let his sheep graze in the middle of the city.
His border collie kept them in check)











As I navigate my way through the neighborhoods, something familiar catches my eyes. This enormous piece of stone I have seen in so many pictures is finally in front of me: Gravensteen
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(Gravensteen, artfully covered in some instagram filter when I posted it at 1am Arkansas time)











This structure was built in 1180, and was built to intimidate the independent-minded people of Ghent.  By the 1800′s, people were using the stone to build their own houses, and right before the turn of the century, the city of Ghent bought the medieval castle and restored the parts that had been taken.
After this picture was taken, I walked roughly 100 meters to find a Frituur. These restaurants are world famous for their frites, which is the Belgian take on the french fry.  While the locals take theirs with mayo, I stayed true to my American ways and had the snack covered in ketchup.  And this was no Heinz ketchup; this was a ketchup gifted by God.  It was somewhat sweet with an applesauce aftertaste, and it went perfectly with the frites.
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(The little fork was a nice touch, and once I used it once, I didn’t go back)
It was a great day of exploration, and when I arrived home I was luck enough to listen to Everton crush Norwich City.

As a preview of my next post, I can finally say what my official objective for the internship will be. This may sound weird, but I was originally coming for brewing, then for chocolate, then for chocolate and distilling, and maybe beer, and so on. Yesterday afternoon, I met with the professor in charge of my internship, Dr. Dewettinck, as well as Dr. Sas of UGent and Sas Distilleries, and Benny Lewille of the food science lab.

Ultimately, I will be given a pilot brewing system to make a few batches (It looks like they will be a quadrupel, Belgian golden, Tripel or Dubbel or Saison, and a Double IPA)  that will be made into fillings at Cacaolabs and potentially produced commercially down the road.  Tomorrow I go to check out how the chocolate filling is made, and will have more pictures and videos this upcoming week.

Cheers!
Ben
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Read more from Ben at http://beninbelgium.tumblr.com/
Learn more about studying or interning abroad as a Bumpers college student at: http://bumperscollege.uark.edu/programs/international-programs/index.php