Malo les Bains

At last we are in France, in Dunkirk, just over the border, at the campground Ville de Dunkerque, the city of Dunkirk municipal campground. Very nice, very reasonable, at least for over-nighters like us. We undertook a long walk along the plage, just west, in Malo les Bains, enjoying but not participating in the beach culture, and looking for Art Nuvo structures. The next morning we undertook a walk along the beach, east, toward Belgium. It is one of the broadest cleanest sand beaches I have seen. The weather was ucharacteristically warm, and due to get much warmer.

The landscape around here is planted, of course, but largely
in small container plants, 6 inches or so, some larger

Anyhow, here we are on the plage road/sea-wall, looking toward
Dunkirk harbor

And the other way, toward Belgium

Our chief interest was beach town architecture, chiefly Art Nuvo,
which Vicki had read about; the place is of that vintage...

We found a little, arguably...

Keeping our eyes on the beach, nonetheless; here, the 8-10
beach volleyballs courts; some of these kids were very, very good

The one real knock-out, a block or two off
the plage

This part of the world has suffered much; the
large sculpture, here, entitled 1914-1918...
1939-1945, captures some of it; the site of one
of the Allies' great defeats in WWII, but also
the ashes from which they arose

Occasional nice grill work

Some Nuvo

Sometimes just a door will do

Back on the beach, watching kite surfers

Next morning, crossing the dunes that separate the campground
from the beach; dune are big around here, very big

Looking back toward the harbor

And north toward Belgium, only a mile or two away

Here and there are reminders of the times that make the name
of Dunkirk famous, or infamous

South

North

Belgian Sex Candy And Other Out-Takes

House with a hat, Ghent

The Lamb of God bistro in Ghent--rack of lamb
...their specialty

Automatic coin-op cafeteria in Veurne...when I 
walked by an hour later it was empty

Vodka automatic and hand grenade...Russian vodka I presume;
in Veurne

Everybody bronzes baby shoes...but pacifiers?!

Shoe line in Ghent; when is this going to become an Olympic
sport?

The Birds and the Bees, Volume II: Bees

I love Monkey Puzzle trees; here's a female, bearing fruit, sort
of; Bruges

McDonald's in Bruges; seriously; their gratuite
et illimite wifi in Belgium is known as Wi-Fries

Probably because they can't compete with vlaamse frites; 
no one can; a Friteur in Bruges

In a window over-looking the Beginhof in Bruges

Vermeer would have been so proud

More than 29 flavors for the hot chocolate machine

In addition to the Bruges Madonna, the St. Mary Church in
Bruges offered the most deeply religious fun I've had since
returning to Europe; above, everybody does a Last Supper...

But Pieter Pourbus shows you the serving staff
as well as the diners

Queen of Heaven "satisfied customer" files

Thus

Plus the best Annunciation sculpture yet...

Note this is a cut-away Mary, showing the
Child already rotated, at full-term...wasn't
the Annunciation suppose to occur a little
earlier than this? What was she thinking? "Oh,
well that certainly explains all this weight I've
gained!"

Starting them off young, at a beer garden in Bruges

You expect this sort of thing in Amsterdam or Florence, where
American college students congregate, but not in stately Bruges,
where their parents are...

Best Belgian Beer Ever, So Far

Which means, simply, best beer ever, so far. Belgium makes and consumes more quality beer than any other nation, and its Trappist beers are said to be the best of the best. Veurne was near the Westvleteren brewery/abbey, St. Sixtus, and so we took a slight detour on our way to Dunkerque to get there. Thanks, Vicki, for spotting this and indulging me.

It's really out there in the boonies, quite a few miles on single
lane roads; this is the visitor center/tasting room/restaurant

In Hoppeland (!); people arrive by car, camper, on foot, on
bicycles, in tour busses; sales of the beer are highly restricted:
one case per license plate, per 60 days, by advanced reservation
only; they don't want to commercialize, you see

Westvleteren...distinctive glasses, bottles

I had the #12--dark, hoppy, a bit sweet,
powerful; unforgettable (I hope); definitely the 
best ever for me; we may stop back by here 
on our rebound to Amsterdam!

Blondes too

A bit of the decor

Ditto

Wandering around the grounds...#12 is 10.6% alcohol...

And maybe into the brewery itself

I got this far before I was accosted by a guy in a gray robe; I
thought he was going to say "no fotos!" and shoo me away,
but he simply explained the Order was very sensitive about
non-members on the grounds but that yes I could take a picture

A bit of the Abbey

Just add water...countryside just beyond the Abbey near
Poperinge