I visited Ghent last year on a day trip from Brugge. The night before, I'd seen my football team win the league at the home ground of their arch rivals and drank a large amount of Bruges Zot blond.
Arriving in Ghent, worse for wear, alcohol was the last thing on my mind. After spending the day in beautiful Ghent, the time came to be making my departure. Arriving at the train station, I could not find neither a bar, or shop to sell me a beer or two for the journey back to Brugge (train beers are the mightest of all beers.)
After reading this article, I feel like you are on to something as every trainstation I've been to in Belgium, a country famous for its beer, has been lacking somewhat in this department.
On a happier note, the Stalybridge buffet bar at Stalybridge trainstation (just outside manchester city but withing Greater Manchester,) is a fine example of a British trainstation bar. Excellent beer choice of english cask ales and Belgian and German beers. Traditional pub foot. Old fashioned coal fire. Traditional travel memorabilia slapped on the walls. And the finest sight of all, a Traditional Edwardian toilet with a high mounted cistern and pull.
Our usual choice at Midi (when the trams don't let us down, so we're not pegging it from town to get the train as happened on our last visit) is Taverne Horta on Place Victor Hortaplein which has a little edge, fairly surly staff and customers but incredibly reasonable bottles of Taras to take the edge off before the eurostar home.
Top tier would, of course, be the Sheffield Tap, although York Tap runs it close. Also had a very pleasant pint in Philadelphia 30th Street station but Bridgewater's pub there seems to have been a pandemic victim...
I visited Ghent last year on a day trip from Brugge. The night before, I'd seen my football team win the league at the home ground of their arch rivals and drank a large amount of Bruges Zot blond.
Arriving in Ghent, worse for wear, alcohol was the last thing on my mind. After spending the day in beautiful Ghent, the time came to be making my departure. Arriving at the train station, I could not find neither a bar, or shop to sell me a beer or two for the journey back to Brugge (train beers are the mightest of all beers.)
After reading this article, I feel like you are on to something as every trainstation I've been to in Belgium, a country famous for its beer, has been lacking somewhat in this department.
On a happier note, the Stalybridge buffet bar at Stalybridge trainstation (just outside manchester city but withing Greater Manchester,) is a fine example of a British trainstation bar. Excellent beer choice of english cask ales and Belgian and German beers. Traditional pub foot. Old fashioned coal fire. Traditional travel memorabilia slapped on the walls. And the finest sight of all, a Traditional Edwardian toilet with a high mounted cistern and pull.
Stalybridge definitely on my list of train station bars I need to visit
Even Sam the Zebra has gone the way of train station bars. It appears he rejoined his original owner at a wine bar in Uccle.
Our usual choice at Midi (when the trams don't let us down, so we're not pegging it from town to get the train as happened on our last visit) is Taverne Horta on Place Victor Hortaplein which has a little edge, fairly surly staff and customers but incredibly reasonable bottles of Taras to take the edge off before the eurostar home.
Top tier would, of course, be the Sheffield Tap, although York Tap runs it close. Also had a very pleasant pint in Philadelphia 30th Street station but Bridgewater's pub there seems to have been a pandemic victim...
Hmmm, shall have to investigate. I usually flip flop between L'ermitage and Bij/chez janssens
I mean, it's not *good*, it's just handy, particularly for the Eurostar side of the station.