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I took full advantage of my unlimited Eurail pass by catching a train from Antwerp to Gent for the day. I took the tram near the station up to the main part of town and hopped off right underneath the Belfry (the old city watchtower). I walked a short ways to Gravensteen, a 12th century castle on the edge of downtown and I was exploring the medieval halls when I met a Russian girl named Polina. We walked through the entire castle and then decided to explore the rest of Gent together. All along the river they were setting up stands for the Gentse Feesten (Gent Festival) starting next week, when hundreds of thousands of people show up for free concerts and partying in the streets. We followed a city map made by locals to various churches and touristy spots as well as a few things off the beaten track like a flea market, an area of the river lined with willow trees and an alleyway decorated with street art. All along the way, I was falling more and more in love with Gent. After we had seen everything there was to see in downtown, we started slowly making our way back towards the train station. We grabbed sandwiches from a little restaurant and ate underneath the "most beautiful tree in Gent" (according to the locals) and then stumbled upon a beautiful park right near the station. We spent the last of our time strolling through the grounds and then I said goodbye to my new friend and I was off to Antwerp again. Gent has turned out to be my favorite town in Belgium and someday I'll have to make it back for the festival! When I got back to the hostel, I sorted out some hostel reservations and then went to bed early so I could get up for my morning train to Paris!
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Russian girl named Polina I remember about 5 euros)