Oostende (the Flemish spelling) is a resort and fishing town on the Belgium Coast overlooking the English Channel in the North Sea. It has been pummeled through history with wars and flooding but remains a popular tourist spot.
World War 2 history being our draw-point, we visited the town to see the German bunkers, observation, and gun sites from both WW1 and WW2 on the Oostende cliffs, overlooking the North Sea and the Channel across to the white cliffs of Dover. The town was a major German submarine base in WW1 and a German coastal fortress in WW2 until liberated by the Canadians in 1944.
Oostende, we found was Interesting for history enthusiasts. The beach, on the other hand, was much more popular with the dogs! Got to love the liberal European beach policies regarding dogs. And restaurants, hotels and other attractions for that matter.
Thoughts and Things
For history buffs, The World War 2 Trivia Book: Interesting Stories and Random Facts from the Second World War – is an entertaining conversation starter!
Belgium is extremely dog-friendly – check out this blog, Welcome To Dog-Friendly Belgium – for a lot more information and inspiration.