Took a trip with friends to the Belgian seaside today, Ostend, in Flanders. We managed to have picked the only day in the last few weeks when it was overcast and then wet by the afternoon. Still, I'm not sure Ostend would look any better in the sun. God, it's ugly. Reminded me of a tacky, run down resort in England. The buildings on the promenade were tall and imposing and clearly designed at the height of Communist fashion (possibly the biggest oxymoron in history?). The shops around them sold the kind of tat you expect to see at the seaside. The beach itself is enormous but not particularly beautiful. Functional more than inviting. Does the job it was meant to. The sea was really warm though which was nice. Well, warm in comparison to the sea on the Isles of Scilly.
Before we left Bristol and moved to Belgium, and after years of saying we must go there, we finally succumbed and visited its nearest seaside resort: Weston Super-Mare. Ostend had a bit of a resemblence to Weston in my view. Couldn't see any crazy golf though. Or any Bristol City tops.
No comments:
Post a Comment