Kouter Flower Market

Kouter Flower Market

Kouter Flower Market

A concrete slab. Construction lining the concrete slab. An ornate pavilion overlooking the concrete slab. That’s what I knew of the Kouter Square. We’d been to Gent a handful of times when we lived in the Netherlands, and had always parked in the garage below. We took the elevator with the stroller and wandered into the city from this central location. We lived in Gent for a month before settling in Antwerp. We packed up the kids one Sunday morning and headed into town via tram to explore the many markets the Gent guidebooks and websites listed. We stepped off

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Citadelpark

Citadelpark

My footfalls beat on the gravely asphalt. I’ve escaped my three children for a bit, leaving them in our temporary apartment with my husband. Running was a habit I picked back up after moving to Texas. In Leiden, I exhausted myself daily just biking or walking my kids around town. Once I moved back to Texas, I was determined to continue biking my kids to school. (Despite the rolling-down-of-windows-wave “Hey? Do you need a ride?” questions from other well-meaning Moms in mini-vans.) I eventually gave up once the temperatures headed into the 90s. We still played outside or went to

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Gravensteen Castle

Gravensteen Castle

Torture chambers, spears, swords, and authentic suits of armor. Enormous wooden doors laden with ancient metal hardware. Gray stone walls – impossible to penetrate, the place where prisoners met their deaths, and fantastic views of the city. It’s Gent’s own Gravensteen Castle. Our first week in Gent, we set out to explore the city. The grand castle in the middle of the city was a no-brainer on the “must visit” list. We walked up to the grand structure, flags on the top of the towers flapping in the wind. The rates for the museum were 10 Euros for adults and

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