De Haan

So from Blankenberge I hop off at De Haan, which will be my only other stop before heading back to Oostende to catch a late train. Right away I know I’ve come to a fun place because there are pedestrians everywhere. I follow the crowd because based on their clothes and picnic baskets, I figure they are all heading for the water. So we all meander around the residential neighborhood…

that leads to the beach:

And it’s right here near the boardwalk that you can rent these contraptions built for 2, 4 or more:

You know me and anything that might go fast–I can’t resist. So from my front seat, here are some shots of this charming town:

Cute street signs, non?

If you think it’s easy to tour the town in one of these human-powered transports, wait till you have to pedal uphill while navigating oncoming traffic! So after 90 minutes of this workout, I go to the first friterie I run into and load up on carbs (best fried fish sandwich ever, I might add):

To fend off the imminent food coma, I head back out to the beach, which by now is emptied because of sprinkling rain…

But the sea winds are fantastic as they blow through my hair, so I keep walking on the sand…

and walking…

for at least 10 kilometers or however far it takes me to get me back to Oostende. Rain clouds turn into blue skies so I do not even feel tired. During this walk I pass by numerous beaches, including a nudist beach where I really wish I don’t have my contact lenses in. I’m no prude but I already have enough hangups about the aging process; I don’t really need to see the effects of gravity on a nude beach, too! Let’s just say I much prefer seeing bunkers and lighthouses on the beach…

So that’s pretty much my tour of Europe this time around. I’ll go back to my fashion series in the days to come!

1 Comment

  1. April White

    This is really a cute place! Thanks for sharing your tour. I’ve enjoyed looking at all the photos and reading about your wanderings.
    Good job!!

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