,
Silence speaks volumes and neither of us was going to be the
first to cave and break the ice. So,
there we sat, irritated and irate, on opposite sides of the tram, as it chug a
lugged its way along the North Sea coast.
What should have been an adventurous sojourn hopscotching from one
Belgian town to another had instead morphed into the day trip from hell, where
no one spoke or dared chance a glance.
Stewing and ruminating was the order of the day, and come hell or high
water, neither party was about to give in, let alone make amends or call a
truce.
It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way. Or, was it?
But then again, how else would we have stumbled upon Le Coq sur le Mer?
A quick backtrack to this morning found Travel Bud and I in
jovial spirits, eagerly anticipating exploring the thousand year old city port
of Oostende. Or, at least I believed
that to be the action plan. Boasting
endless beaches, a boardwalk, casino, age-old architecture and, of course,
mouth-watering delicacies of the freshest catch of the day, this seaside marina
did not disappoint. My first visit to
Oostende, some 20 or so years ago, found me promenading along the sandy beached
shore, shivering uncontrollably on a frigid December day. On a harried jaunt to see the sights during
an all too brief stop-over as I waited to board my train to Bruges, I vowed
that I would some day return and spend the day appreciating all that this
marina town had to offer.
Fast-forward to the present and my pink sneaker clad feet
were itching to make up for lost time and scamper up and down the cobblestone
rues, explore and of course, discover hidden treasures – of the discounted
designer satchel kind – along the way.
The prospect of shopping till I dropped, arms laden down with carrier
bags and packages galore, had my heart a thumping and my adrenaline a
pumping. Spent and tuckered out, I would
then idle the afternoon away in the quaintest of bistros, scribbling and
creating, whilst indulging in copious amounts of calamari and cabernet. Could it get any better than that?
Travel Bud’s blueprint on how to spend a picture perfect
day, on the other hand, differed vastly from mine. The plan was to traverse the entire Belgian
coast via the De Kusttram, a 68 km long tram route spanning 16 major cities
and 70 stops, a hop on hop off tour of the rail inspired kind. A great idea in theory, but not that awesome
in practicality, if you only have a couple of hours in which to snap pictures
and run.
So, there we were, at a standstill, two squabbling
foreigners, adamant that their agenda prevail.
Stubborn as a bull, refusing to budge, Travel Bud was seconds away from exhibiting a not so grown up type tantrum, whilst I, bargain lusting
shopaholic, was on the verge of a nuclear size meltdown, until - The
Unthinkable happened. Not yet ready to
relent, Travel Bud triumphantly played his Ace card, casually reminding me that
when we were planning the trip so many eons ago, I had wholeheartedly agreed to
his proposed plan. Yikes! Who can possibly remember that far back? I must have been far too engrossed in
catching up with the latest trends in my fashion glossies, paying scant
attention to Bud's distant ramblings.
Thus, sheep-faced and dejected, with visions of acquisitive
glory down the drain, I reluctantly acquiesced and clambered into said train.
And, did I happen to also mention that nary a half hour into
the journey, fidgeting and squirming as if he had ants in his pants, sitting uncomfortably
in his oh so confining seat, Travel
Bud unexpectedly verbalized a statement like none other. “My butt hurts”. And off we scampered at the next upcoming stop.
And thus, dear readers, is how we stumbled upon the Rooster
of the Sea, otherwise known as De Haan Aan Zee, the quaintest of Belle Époque
towns on the North Sea coast.
Looks like an upcoming trip to Oostende is looming on the
horizon, as third time around has definitely got to be the charm, don’t you
think?
Come ride the rails with Travel Bud and I,
as we explore and wander and occasionally squabble, discovering seagulls and
roosters and Belle Époque towns along the way.
Next blog post – in three weeks! Wednesday, February 10th!!
Hanging out in De Haan Aan Zee – The
never-ending saga continues. Stay
tuned!!
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