D. S. Friberg Blog

Monday (09/21/09), we walked to the University Hospital (UZ Gent) in the southeastern corner of Gent. Of Gent’s four hospitals, we had heard that UZ Gent was the biggest and most sophisticated. It is indeed large, with many buildings and departments. After some searching, we found the department of gynaecology and made an appointment for Katie to see a doctor the following day. We also inquired about the hospital’s Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). As we had hoped, the NICU at UZ Gent is “Level 3,” the equivalent of the Minneapolis Children’s Hospital where Wes was cared for during his first 24 hours of life. In fact, UZ Gent is the main hospital in East Flanders to which any newborns with complications are transfered. This is reassuring. Katie’s check-up on Tuesday was also positive. Her doctor spoke great English and knew all about HELLP (Hemolytic anemia, Elevated Liver enzymes, Low Platelet count) Syndrome, which is what Katie had with Wes. They did a general check-up, as well as an ultra-sound and a urine screen. So far, Katie is doing very well with the pregnancy!

The wing of the hospital where Katie had her check-up

On a lighter note…  Sunday, we went to the Grote Bloemenmarkt, the “Big Flower Market,” which takes place in a square called Kouter.  We looked at flowers, tried oysters on the half-shell (Dan only), and rode the elevator (Wes).

An orchid stand at the Flower Market

Oysters with lemon wedge

Elevator

Grote Bloemenmarkt. A big band was playing on the wrought-iron bandstand at right.

Also on Sunday, we passed through a vintage furniture market (taking place in Vrijdagmarkt) and a book market along the river.  I found some interesting music books at an English book store, and was give a special invitation to a weekly “Pub Quiz” by the British shop keeper. It starts Oct. 5 at 8pm SHARP!  I’m not sure if I’ll attend or not.

Vintage furniture market and cafe seating

Book Market (on the left)

And some Wes pics!

In the Tree

Ice Cream

Wes

Wes and Paddington

Shoe Shopping

I took this short video of Wes last weekend before the concert and fireworks we saw by the river. The church is St. Michael’s. It was built beginning in 1440 by the brewer’s guild, the richest and most powerful guild in Gent at the time. The average Gent resident in those days consumed over 400 liters of beer per year! This was partly out of necessity, since the water was polluted and caused disease. Even kids drank beer. It made the brewers very wealthy and provided the funds to build St. Michael’s. Notice in the video how Wes likes to follow the design of the stones when he walks.

Wednesday, September 16th, we decided on impulse to take one of the 40-minute boat tours that are offered near the center of Gent.   The boat tours are the thing that every tourist to Gent or Bruges does first, but we hadn’t gotten around to it.  As it turned out, the tour was fun and informative!  It was a nice change of pace for all of us, since we’ve been mostly preoccupied with logistical errands.  We had such a nice time on the boat, in fact, that we resolved afterward to do fun outings and day trips regularly, both in Gent and farther afield.

On quay by boat

Our guide

On Boat

On the boat tour, we learned that Gent’s 12th-century castle, the Gravensteen (Castle of the Counts), is not all it seems to be.  In the first place, it was built long ago by the Count of Flanders as a status symbol rather than out of true safety or commercial concerns.  The Count, a participant in the Second Crusade, had encountered a number of fortified stone castles on his way to Jerusalem. Naturally, he wanted one of his own, and when he got home he built the Gravensteen.  Stones are a rare commodity in Flanders, so each one had to be imported from Wallonia, making the construction costly. Obsolete almost from the start, the castle became increasingly more so over the centuries.  Houses were built against its walls, and its stones were pilfered.  By the end of the 19th Century it was scheduled for demolition.  The City of Gent rescued it and subsequently ‘restored’ it beyond recognition, to the point where there are now arguments as to whether it should be considered authentic.  So, as it turns out, our castle is very old, but disingenuous nevertheless.

Tropical Greenhouse

Herb Garden

In Citadelpark

Citadelpark

Extra-Vegan-za

Korenmarkt

Approach to Sint-Michielsbrug

Emile Braun Plein excavation

And now, a funny example of how language can be an issue:  We were out for an evening ‘promenade’ through the Patershol, the restored medieval tanners’ quarter.  Wes was busy playing on his favorite bridge, so we thought we’d duck into the nearby Indian restaurant and order some samosas to go.  Katie went in and ordered “two vegatable somosas.”  After a 25 minute wait, we got the bill: 30 Euros!  The  proprietor had made for us two vegetable curry entres, a fresh salad, rice, AND an order of samosas.  So a potential snack became a full-fledged take-out meal.  Either something was lost in translation, or the restaurant owner was looking out for his bottom line. Either way, we enjoyed the food.

Finally, especially for the grandparents, a few cute Wes pictures and a link to a video:

Wes with umbrella in his stroller

Munchkin

"Cars" brand patio set for kids

Click on the play button below to watch Wes taking phone calls and getting all worked up.  He gets this way before bedtime once in a while. Wes, calm down!

Katie arranged to have some routine pregnancy-related blood tests done this morning.  We awoke earlier than usual to try to beat the crowds at the lab.  We appeared to be the first ones there and it all went very smoothly.  About 20 different tests will be done, all for 81 Euros.  The process of finding a doctor and getting the tests ordered was involved, so it was a relief to get it all taken care of.  The results will be available Tuesday.

The lab where Katie had her blood drawn. She gives it a hug!

There is a big park across the street from the lab, with a fountain and several monuments.  It is called Koning Albert Park and is close to the Bed and Breakfast Hancelot, the place we stayed when we first arrived.

The Fountain in Koning Albert Park

Click HERE to see short video of Wes playing in the park.

Here are a couple of other pictures from yesterday:

Near Sint-Jacobkirk

At the laundromat

Katie went to see Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” tonight at the theater in the Korenmarkt.  She liked it, especially the acting.  The French and German dialogue (there is a lot) was not translated into English as it was in American theaters, so she looks forward to seeing it again at some point.

Before she left, Katie made pasta with sauce for dinner….

Pasta at home

…. to which I added several items found at the excellent gourmet foods shop on the corner.

Green French mustard, cornichons, dried mangos, Tabasco

The gourmet foods shop sits on the smaller of the two squares near our apartment.  This smaller square is called Bij Sint-Jacobs, literally translated “By St. Jacob’s,” owing to the ancient church that sits in the center.  Parts of the church structure date back to 1093, though most of it was built during the 13th-15th century.

Sint-Jacobskirk

In Bij Sint-Jacobs we also have our own friet (French Fry) stand.  Everything in Gent has a history, including this stand, which has been run by the same family through several generations.

The stand for frieten, etc., in Bij Sint-Jacobs

Frieten are ubiquitous in Belgium, more so than waffels.  They taste a little different than American fries.  They are fried twice and served with your choice of sauce.  Most people choose mayonnaise.

The larger square near our house, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, is called Vrijdagmarkt.  I snapped a picture tonight while it was empty to show how big it is.  The tangled streets and many squares are confusing, but they are fun to explore.  Click here for a map of our neighborhood, with the red “A” marking our apartment.  The only way to really understand the layout is to come see for yourself!

Vrijdagmarkt at about 7 p.m., Sept 10. The black spires of Sint-Jacobkirk are visible in the background (center).

While Katie was at the movie, Wes and I played with blocks and then went to the park.

On the horse at the park

Yesterday, Katie learned of a class offered once a month near Brussels covering the details of giving birth in Belgium.  The class is designed for foreigners and is conducted in English.  Perfect!  It was happening last night (7:30-10 p.m.)and then not again until October 7th.  Katie managed to reserve a spot for us, so on the spur of the moment we took off for Brussels.  I knew in theory that getting to Brussels is not difficult, but getting to the particular location of this class on short notice proved to be a challenge.  We left Baudelostraat 40 at 5:40 p.m., took the tram (Wes calls it the choo-choo-bus) to the Gent train station, rode a commuter line from there into the center of Brussels, took the metro (subway) a for six stops, and finally caught another tram out to the eastern suburbs.  This required no less than three different types of tickets and involved a snafu with the train conductor that almost cost us a 120 Euro fine.  But we made it, and only about half-an-hour late.  The class was informative, and there was quite a diverse group of couples.  We didn’t get home until almost 1 a.m.!

One final aside:  We have encountered an unexpected problem.  The windows don’t have screens, and it turns out that there are nasty mosquitoes!  It’s nice to open the windows, but we have been getting bitten in our sleep.  Wes has several bad bites on his legs.

This morning, Sunday, we went to the Bird Market in Vrijdagmarkt, the big square near our house.  The Bird Market was just what it sounded like: an open air market where pet birds (and fish) were sold.

Part of the Bird Market in Vrijdagmarkt

Wes and Mommy Look at a Bird

There was a wind/brass band playing on a stage near the center of the square.  Nearby, in Sint Jacob, there was a flea market similar to the one we went to last weekend in St. Elisabethplein.

At 11:30 we met our upstairs neighbor, Alex, who had promised to show us the supermarket.  It is about six blocks away near the Gent-Dampoort train station, the smaller of Gent’s two stations.  Even though it was closing at 12:30, we managed to get produce, cooking oil, salt, sausage, nuts, dates, coffee, etc.  The prices seemed a little lower than at the smaller grocery stores in our immediate area.  We also bought a broasted chicken at a Turkish meat shop near the supermarket.  Back home, we had our first real meal in the apartment.

Alex, Katie, and Wes at the Supermarket

After a nap, we spent some time straightening up our room.  Here are a few pictures:

Dining Room, Living Room, Walk-in Closet

Bed Room, Family Room

In the evening, we made a “promenade” around the center of Gent.

Daddy and Wes finish their waffel in Groentenmarkt (Vegetable Market)

The Gravensteen (Castle of the Counts)

Wes making his calls

Some cafes

All in all, it was a quiet weekend.  I couldn’t practice because the conservatory was closed and I promised the landlord that I wouldn’t practice in the apartment.  Hopefully the conservatory will be opened weekends once the school year starts.  We had a couple of nice conversations with family on Skype, which works pretty well.

Wes and the big stuffed dog at IKEA, where we bought a cheapo table for the TV

Voila!  Baudelostraat 40, our new apartment in Gent:

Baudelostraat 40

Our street (Baudelostraat) leading toward the square (Vrijdagmarkt)

The buzzer showing our name

Front Doors

Entryway (we live on the first floor)

WC

Kitchen

Wes in his new rubber rain boots

The famous mustard

Wes samples the pastry

The bakery cart. One of probably 50 vendors in the Square on Fridays.