I'm just kidding. It actually got better and better.
This past weekend we (me, Jim, Ross and his friend Valentine - pronounced Val un teen) went to the Belgian coast. The main reason for going was to add to my sand collection, but also for a little sun. Of all the sand I've collected, I had not collected any from our very own coast. I can check that off my list now.
So, I'll go ahead and get the unfavorable part out of the way . . .
After spending quite some time on the internet seeking the perfect hotel right on the beach (not so easy to find in Belgium), I found one.
Right here on this boardwalk that was under construction with the beach access completely blocked off. The hotel website failed to mention this important aspect of their "right on the beach" advertisement.
The view from our balcony which was at least facing the beach. This area will be really nice . . . one day . . . when we are not there.
Once you got past the "boardwalk to come", it was nice. We definitely had the place to ourselves because we were apparently the only people who didn't know about the boardwalk construction zone.
There was this nice lookout tower . . .
so we could get a better view of the construction zone :)
As is typical in Belgium, gray skies are the norm. If you look really close, center right, you can see sailboats in that gray mist.
Not to be deterred, we set out the next morning away from our "hotel right on the beach" in search of some sun .
Along the way, we stopped for lunch in Vlissingen, Netherlands.
It is a quaint little harbor town where we ate kibbling. A common dish in the Netherlands - small pieces of fried fish - and it was delicious. Why anyone would choose herring over this is beyond comprehension.
Then . . . finally! We found some SUN! In the Netherlands!
We all took a long walk,
soaking in the sun.
In the background you can see the Delta Works - a system of dams, locks, and levees built after a great flood in 1953. It took over 50 years to complete and it now keeps a large area of the Netherlands from flooding again.
Even Winslow had a good time!
We soaked up the sun, had a drink on a terrace, until mid-afternoon and it only costs us 60 Euros for parking. We didn't see the machine to pay for parking until we saw the ticket on our windshield and THEN we saw the parking permit machine way back in the corner of the lot. So far, I think we've paid a speeding fine or a parking fine every time we visit the Netherlands.
Just another addition to our "live and learn; sometimes you just live" motto of living in a foreign country :) Then we headed back toward our "hotel right on the beach".
We also stopped at a couple of places along the coast . . .
These little "villages" full of trailers and campers are fairly common in the Netherlands. They aren't visible from any main roads, but are always off a "country" road and packed in like sardines (or herring).
One of our stops was Knokke, Belgium where we saw these tulips blooming.
Our next stop was Blankenberge, Belgium where we stayed for dinner and to watch the sun set. I took this photo from our dinner table. These little huts (often 3 or 4 rows deep) dot nearly every beach in Belgium and are quite common on European beaches. Most are actually owned by individuals and they keep their beach gear stored there for use in the summer. I think they're an eyesore and an obstruction to the view of the sand and waves, but Belgians think it's perfectly normal.
It turned out to be a very nice weekend.
Gray skies and all :)
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