This video is a tour of Ostend during the winter time in Belgium. Seeing the coast during the winter is such a different experience compared to what we usually see during the summer.
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Oostende (Winter) – Coastal town
Ostend is the largest coastal city in Belgium. Located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium fishing has become one of the main attractions of this area. Back in the day, Ostend was a small village built on the east-end of an island between the North Sea and a beach lake. Although small, the village rose to the status of "town" around 1265, when the inhabitants were allowed to hold a market and to build a market hall. Nowadays Ostend is extremely touristic and known for its sea-side esplanade, including the Royal Galleries of Ostend, and fine-sand beaches.
Port of Oostende
As part of the city of Ostend the port was founded in 1584 when the sand dunes were pushed back to create the beginnings of the modern basin. Even though this isn’t the main port of Belgium it’s still a favorite for people wanting to own a boat or simply go sailing. Because of that there are quite a few areas that have many smaller boats lined up where private individuals can park their boat when they aren’t using it. Also, Ostend being so touristic, there are many tour boats that allow people to hop on them and visit the harbor and surrounding Belgian coast. As mentioned Belgium specializes in seafood, so seeing many fishing boats and even some fishing gear laying around on the side of the sidewalk is a pretty common sight to see. This in some way is a true testament to how fresh the seafood is in this region.
National monument for the seamen Oostende
The Seamen's Memorial can be found on the Zeeheldenplein. Coincidentally the monument location was also the location of the first lighthouse in Oostende which was built in 1771. Next to the Seamen’s memorial there’s a pretty impressive piece of modern art called Rock Strangers. This is a permanent installation that was created by the artist Arne Quinze in 2012. Being extremely large in nature, each metal structure is pretty high and the whole installation has a diameter of 100 meters. Set in Ostend’s biggest coastal hotspot. The bright orange color of these metal structures truly gives a sharp contrast to the otherwise normal looking surrounding and accentuates this area giving it an alien-like or even dreamlike effect. Art pieces and installations don’t just limit themselves to the Zeeheldenplein but can be spotted throughout the boardwalk facing the sea. Some of these art pieces are modern looking whereas others are much older and show more typical styles of art that can be found in all European cities. Modern or old both of these art styles make this area extremely charming to walking in.
Sea Breaker Westelijke Strekdam
The Westelijke Strekdam is a really big breakwater dam that is indispensible to the survival of Ostend. It truly reduces the effect of tides, currents, waves, and storm surges. Part of a coastal management system is to install these breakwaters to minimize erosion, and to protect anchorages, helping isolate vessels within them from marine hazards such as prop washes and wind-driven waves. Moreover because this structure goes out into the sea a nice walking bath exists on top of it which allows people to take a nice walk up to a green painted lighthouse that overlooks the coast. Views from there are pretty impressive showing a nice silhouette of the City of Ostende with it’s modern building and also the many semi-tall apartment structures that overlook the sea. Being an important coastal town there isn’t just one light house but multiple lighthouses that help the boats navigate the coastline. Staying in the spirit of artwork there is even artwork on the breakwater. Again seeing how they built this structure from an architectural point of view as well as looking at the green painted lighthouse as well as enjoy the sea breeze really makes it a must place to walk on while in this region.
Wide beaches in Oostende
Ostend has a maritime temperate climate, influenced by winds from the North Sea, making summers cooler than inland Europe. And because of that, and especially in the winter, swimming in the water isn’t really an option. But even so, Oostende beach usually has many people walking on it, especially dog owners, as this beach is dog friendly but also a perfect spot for one’s pet to run around. Even though there are already quite a few people in the winter, during the summer it gets even more inundated with people. After all Belgium is a somewhat colder country so whenever there’s nice sun, people flock out of the houses to enjoy anything nature related. Cold or not, looking at the waves and seeing the immensity of the sea is always mesmerizing and truly shows how small we are compared to this world and the universe.
#ostend #belgianwinter #winterbeach
