Weekend Getaway - Oostende, Belgium

When we moved to Europe some years back, weekend getaways used to be our favorite. Take a day or two free from work, combine it with a weekend and just drive or fly. 

After our lil Bun, we felt like we have grown out of it and needed to settle down, we started preferring those relaxing getaways where you need minimum a week and are not rushing everywhere. Now that our lil Bun is past one, and we see how much he loves outings, it seems like we are getting back at our search of weekend getaway places. 

Thing is how many times you want to go to the same place again and again? We have been longing for a change of scenery past weeks and looking at weather last weekend, that is nice and sunny, we decided it was time for much deserved break.

So there started again the same debate, where to?

Ostend Beach front

We were almost certain we will end up driving to our all time favorite Paris, but there that question - how many times do you want to go to same place again and again? Like we have been there million times, so there won't be much sight seeing that we would be very much interested in. And what more, even our lil Bun has been there.

Then suddenly i remembered a name of a place that i came across sometime back but had been waiting for warmer days. 

So that's where we went. To "Oostende" (or Ostend) in Belgium. 

Wapenplein, Ostende's main square

We drove off like we always do, without much of a plan and last minute decisions with a few things in bag and a camera.

What we didn't realize was that it was a nice sunny weekend after such a long time, so it was as if everyone on this side of world was out there, having some vitamin D. More to that school vacations in Belgium just started. And everything in Oostende and in peripheral of 40kms was fully booked !

Nevertheless, none of that dampened our spirits and we did end up having nice time anyway.

Bell Tower at Wapenplein, Ostende's main square.

We were amazed, there were so many babies and strollers all around and not to forget so many dogs ! No wonder lil Bun had gala time. He loved walking, running, shouting with excitement at other kids and dogs. At times he would just pull our hand and wouldn't budge because he wants to go behind that dog and not where we were heading to. 

He loved looking other kids, even kids-at-heart bigger kids playing at beach. 

There were many kids riding those cycles where you lie down on your back, don't know name of that one, but lil Bun loved to look at that and was excited seeing kids riding them. 

People partying on big cycles with music and beer. Total fun.

From there we went to Brugge, one of our all time favorite. It was nice to remember good old times that we had spent there,during our previous visit, and certainly how well we still remembered those streets. 

Museumschip on the backdrop.

So that was it. Our weekend refreshing get-away. 

However before we drove back, we did promise ourselves to be back there again some day, just to do nothing and lie down there at the beach. Bliss !