Oostende 05/01/2025

 When we were making our plans for this trip, we decided to base in Brugge for the second week.  Among those plans we would train out from to Brugge to other villages in the area.  Our first train excursion was to Oostende.  We wanted to visit a quaint village on the North Sea.  Oostende was anything, but that. It was located on the North Sea, but it was not a cute village.  It is a large seaport town.  It has a population of 73,000.  It is a thriving community and has shown a population increase for the last 5 years.  It has a large beach on the North Sea shore.  Not to be confused with our beaches in Alabama, but well attended by beach goers.  Trains pass through Brugge every 15 minutes on the way to Oostende, and it is standing room only for the passengers.  When the passengers disembark they head straight for the beach. 

 There is a lot of modern and contemporary structures in Oostende. It was bombed heavily by the Germans at the beginning of WWII.  Germany invaded on May 10, 1940 and Belgium surrendered 18 days later.  The Germans occupied Oostende until September 1944 when the Allies advanced into Belgium.  I mentioned the the Germans bombed Oostende heavily in 1940.  They were also a favorite target for the RAF.  Very few of the original medevial structures survived without major damage.  One reason for the Allied bombing of Oostende was the "Atlantic Wall".  No one knew the location of the Allied invasion on D Day, so the whole coast was targeted.  Oostende was also occupied by the Germans in WWI.  Today there are a number of WWI bunkers and several complete areas of the Atlantic Wall available for viewing.  They also have a museum that is focused on the Atlantic Wall.  Oostende began a massive rebuilding program after the war, and it is a very walkable city.  

We walked through the city, toured the beach, and had a great lunch before heading back to the train station.  I tried eel for my entree and my companions were not sure about my choice.  I believe you should dine on the cuisine of the culture you are in.  Would I have eel at home? Probably not.  If you come this way, visit Oostende.  Enjoy the beach and the cuisine.

      




                      Beach on the North Sea                                      Lot of sail boats in Oostend






Beach goers
Remains of Ste Peters Church
destroyed by the British in 1706
                               Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk
Eel Stew
                             Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Shrimp in orange butter sauce

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