Most people love an underdog – and Ghent, Belgium’s quirkiest city, could well be described as one. Frequently overlooked in favour of its plush sister, tourist-favourite Bruges, which draws in visitors with its chocolate box good looks, Ghent, by contrast, has the feel of a real, working city, but is similarly blessed in terms of aesthetics, with medieval spires, cobbled side streets and meandering waterways.
Thanks in part to its university city status, Ghent’s population is young and dynamic, which goes some way towards explaining the city’s progressive approach to sustainable living. From its zero-waste cafés to city farms and renewable energy initiatives, Ghent has serious green credentials. So serious, in fact, that for two years running it has been a finalist for the European Green Capital Award, narrowly losing (there’s the underdog thing again) to 2020’s winner, Lisbon. Click on the link to the article of Euronews for more reasons to visit this cosmopolitan but cosy, historic yet contemporary city:
https://www.euronews.com/living/2019/05/07/ghent-europe-s-need-to-know-green-city