AussiePomm: Ghent

23 May, 2012

Photo a Day Challenge - Day 142 Technology

I am constantly amazed as to how technology is working, both domestically and in the industrial world. In some ways, I wonder if "we're just playing god" in the many ways we can manipulate the weather, and can cast additional UV light, and heat, onto playing surfaces so as we can extend (or bring forward) a playing season to suit our needs...

This is no more evident than in Europe (mainly, although the same technology is used here at home in Australia) where the use of lighting booms on playing surfaces, in order to promote the active growth of the turf so as the shading from the large grandstands is counteracted. Here we see the lighting booms in use at K.A.A Ghent, in Belgium.

Hoo roo for now...

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16 April, 2011

A couple of days in Ghent...

Well, after a couple of days in London, I am now in Ghent, Belgium- but its BOUND to be busy! Busy indeed it was! But I wanted to leave the last post for Louise an extra couple of days...

I arrived in Belgium via the Eurostar via Brussels. The transfer time in Brussels was quite good, no rush! Once I arrived in Ghent, I thought it simplest to just get a cab to the hotel. WHAT I should have done was just got the tram at 1.20 Euro instead of the 8 Euro the cabbie charged! But it was the easiest!

Suburban Train, Brussels

ROWS of bikes at Brussels Station

Ghent Bike... racks?

Monday morning, it was an early start with breakfast, and as I had to get to the 'official' hotel to get the bus, I had a walk to do. but it wasn't far at all in fact, enjoyable!

Ghent Square

Ghent Shopping

Ghent Canal

The day of presentations, went down very well, there really is some great stuff happening! After the technical side was done and dusted, that afternoon we were treated to a guided walk around the City of Ghent and an official welcoming at the City Hall by one of the Councillors. The history of the City is just amazing, as it is something we just don't have here in Sydney being just a tad over 200 years old! I will add THESE pics of the tour of the city in its own post later in the week...

On the Tuesday though, we had a little extra time to sleep in as we didn't need to be at the other hotel for the field day until 9.30. So I still left early, and got some early morning photos of Ghent along the way. We arrived at the research facility which was also a soccer (OK, in Europe its FOOTBALL) pitch. There was a lot of machinery there and a lot to see.

At the Ghent University's research facility, we were treated to a lot of different machinery applications, some I had not seen before, whilst some are changes in technology. There was just SO much to see it was great! And after the morning exhibition, we then headed across to K.A.A. Ghent's home ground.