General tips

I've been living and working in Gent for a week now and I'll be here for a few months. I'll update this post/blog as I come up with new tips.

Tips for travel

1. Cyclists rule this city. Everyone has a bike and there are more bikes on the street than cars. There is a dedicated lane for them and drivers and pedestrians respect and share the road.







2. There are hardly any stop signs. So always look both ways before crossing the street, even at designated crossing points. That being said, most drivers are respectful and will stop to let you cross.
3. People tend to drive faster here than they do in Canada. Be careful walking close to the street.
4. The transit system is expensive and difficult to use if you don't know where you're going. Routes are easy to Google, which is nice, but the buses have no indication of which stops they are approaching so be careful if you're taking the bus to somewhere you haven't been before.





5. Everything here is smaller than it is in the Americas so if you're coming from there, be prepared for small rooms, small showers, small portions of food, etc.
6. Fries shops are everywhere. Most are pretty decent but try to avoid ones that advertise themselves as a pita or meat shop as they tend to have fries of a lesser quality.
7. Most places serve fries with a fry sauce of some kind. There are many different kinds of sauces and they sometimes cost extra. Most sauces are some kind of variation of mayonaisse or ketchup. They can be fun to try but be careful if you decide to add a sauce as the chef will likely drench the fries in them.
8. Most stores close around 8 pm on weekdays and aren't open on weekends, especially on Sundays.
9. Places like McDonald's are actually more expensive to eat at than small fry shops.



10. It rains here. A lot. Make sure you bring a rain jacket and check the weather if you're planning outdoor activities.





11. The fridges and freezers also tend to be small so don't plan to shop for all of your weekly groceries at once. Most people in Belgium shop every day or two and value fresh food.
12. The cheese tends to be cheaper here but the meats tend to be more expensive.

Going to the movie theatre

Here are some tips on what it's like to see a movie in Belgium.

1. Tickets are paid for at the door and are required to enter the rest of the theatre.
2. The major cinema company, Kinepolis, offers a student discount to those studying at any school.
3. The concession stand is more like a concession store with treats, popcorn, ice cream, and candy - anything you might want.
4. All theatres have assigned seats but the rows aren't labelled so you might have to count them in order to find your seat.
5. Most movies are in English with Dutch/French subtitiles. Which is great for English speakers unless a lot of the movie is in another language because all of those subtitles will also be in Dutch/French.
6. Long movies will have a ten minute intermission for people to leave for whatever reason and return when the movie continues.
7. After the movie, you will be led directly out of the theatre through a hall with restrooms available.

I'll add to these tips as I learn more. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments!

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