Sorry haven't posted very much ... so busy ... so many sights, so little time.

We've left Paris and France for that matter and are now in Belgium. Belgium is very similar to France except that Dutch seems to be the language of choice. Wasn't expecting that! Don't know any Dutch phrases, luckily most people seem to speak French or English.

Our first stop was Gent a lovely medieval town with a vibrant industrial past originally based on the cloth trade.

We're a bit excited because we're off to Bruge and we're staying on a canal boat on the canal!

Have sort of re-acquainted myself with driving on the wrong side of the road and changing gear with the OTHER hand. Haven't crashed into anything or anybody, yet. But boy are the parking places small!! And we upgraded our car only to find that it's a two-door car. So it's just like being at home, huge car doors+huge feet=large door opening space required.

As I write I can hear the bells of the bell tower peal, as they do every quarter hour, it's a lovely sound.

The rain seems to be following us. It was spitting gently in London and Paris; it poured yesterday on our journey from Lille to Gent and it's raining again now. But that doesn't stop intrepid travellers like us; especially since we bought umbrellas in London and have now Christened them well and truly.

After dinner last night, we walked back to our hotel the long, scenic route via the canals. Everything is so picturesque, it's hard to stop taking photos when everywhere that you look is another old and historic something or other.

These pictures will give you an idea of what we mean:

We're off now to the local market, which luckily for us is open only on Saturdays! So off into the rain we go ...