It was just a scattered collection of huts, regarded by neighbouring villages as the haunt of scoundrels and thieves. Until the rails arrived De Haan was a poor seaside village of shrimp fishermen and their families. Next stop is De Haan, easily the most attractive of the communities along the coast. Bay windows that once boasted displays of orchids and calla lilies now survey concrete-and-glass blocks, which stand between them and the sand dunes and sea beyond. The entire route is an essay in surrealism, with René Magritte’s magnificent murals in the casino in Knokke, giant bananas dangling from flagpoles along the coast, piers that lead nowhere and sedate belle époque hotels that have had their sea views obliterated by apartment blocks. Belgium just isn’t fashionable yet tucked away along its coast are some quite remarkable spots. The backdrop changes dramatically by the minute: one moment a feast of classical colonnades, then piles of containers arranged like avant garde art as the tram skirts docklands and industrial estates.Īs our tram pitches and rolls along the coast, I wonder why this route isn’t widely hyped as a wonderfully eclectic journey. Kings, mainly called Leopold and occasionally Albert, make cameo appearances in showpiece monuments. ![]() Photograph: Thomas Faull/AlamyĪll Belgian life is captured in the run along the coast, from those gnomes at Plopsaland to a thousand tearooms where pensioners linger for hours over a single coffee or Leffe beer. ![]() A rollercoaster ride at Plopsaland in Belgium.
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