Netherlands Trip - Nieuwpoort      15th June:

De Poolreiziger (The Artic Explorer)

    I awoke to a cloudy, menacing sky, with a cool, bracing breeze passing through the marina. A delicious, warm shower started the day nicely.
    The marina was once again a hive of activity with yachts heading out for a day's sailing, and many just practicing their berthing manoeuvres.
    After another cholesterol loaded breakfast expertly cooked by Rex, we were soon walking down the south bank of the Yser towards the beach. This was a pleasant hike past a few boat yards, parks, and sea scout and sea guide training centres. During our hike we came across a sculpture, "De Poolreiziger" (The Artic Explorer), created by Freddy Cappon. It was commissioned by the city council on the occasion of the departure in 2007 of Arctic traveller Dixie Dansercoer, ex-inhabitant of Nieuwpoort, to the South Pole. The statue symbolises the loneliness and the vastness of the universe. The imaginary road that Dixie crosses with his skis, alone with his thoughts and feelings, extends to the gates of heaven. The statue is a tribute to Nieuwpoort. The pillars are 6m high, the circular arcs represent the North Pole and the South Pole. Sadly, Dixie was attempting to cross Greenland with a Canadian and a Dutch explorer, a distance of some 2,200 kilometres using a snow kite. He fell through the snow and into a glacier ravine. His body has never been found.

Taking Fluids on Board

    On the opposite shore stretched a bob of sunbathing seals. Many folk were out walking and cycling, all bathed in the now warm sunshine. It was obviously the thing to do on a Sunday. We usually uttered forth, "Good day", to other hikers in our best Flemish, but Belgian people opted to respond with a nod and the occasional one-word unintelligible response. Belgium also seemed to be a nation of dog lovers. Where the sloping river bank wall met the river, the wall was carpeted with thick seaweed. Gulls stomped over the weed, pulling huge chunks of it up with their strong beaks to reach tasty morsels below.
    At the junction of the river and beach, a large Ferris wheel lazily rotated. Beyond, a long, wide, sandy beach stretched to the horizon. Families skipped over the sand to the water's edge, which must have been 300m away. Rex bemoaned the fact that he had forgotten to bring his bucket and spade. I did offer to buy him another set, but he declined the offer since he preferred his barnacle encrusted set that he bought 23 years ago. How sweet.

Bob of Seals Sunbathing

Nieuwpoort Beach

    The beach climbed up to meet a 50m wide walking/cycling area, flanked by a very long wall of ugly high-rise flats. The modern hinterland behind this sea front was not particularly inspiring.

Searching for Utopia

    We headed back, passing on the way the 3m tall sculpture called "Searching for Utopia", a shining sculpture of a sea turtle with a rider holding a set of reins while sitting atop the tremendous turtle's shell. The slow agonizing turtle is on its way to Utopia, an ideal reality or place that in fact does not exist. The work was created by Belgian artist Jan Fabre. Fabre is famous for his Bic-art (ballpoint drawings). In 1990, he covered an entire building with ballpoint drawings. The sculpture's initial location was on the beach, looking out over the sea as an integral part of the artwork. However, the sea view is hindered now by a row of buildings.
    The turtle often appears in legends about the origin of the world. In some Asian cultures, the turtle is also a symbol of the world in ancient myths, the flat bottom of the shell is the earth's crust and the convex top represents the heavens. In this way, the animal unites heaven and earth in itself. In other stories, the turtle is the foundation of the world, it carries the earth.

Bike Repair Station - Brilliant

    The heat became oppressive on our journey back to town, so we opted to walk via the pretty parks. Once back in the old (1922) part of town, we booked a table at a restaurant for the evening since most places seemed to be closed on Sundays.

Hendrick Geeraert

    We returned at the appointed hour. The food was good, with the choice of Belgian or Thai food. Portions were over-generous. Entertainment was provided by a circular manhole cover. Unlike the thick, cast-iron manhole covers in Britain, the covers in Nieuwpoort were manufactured from thin, springy steel. A large, heavy SUV vehicle had driven over one causing a large bang. It appeared the weight at the front of the vehicle had been sufficient to bend the cover, which sprung up after the wheel passed over it, and the cover had impacted the underside of the vehicle. After a quick inspection, the driver of the vehicle placed the cover over the manhole, and drove off. However, the cover was now deformed, and each time a vehicle passed over it large popping sounds were emitted. A workman appeared later, scratched his head, and eventually tried to stick it down with sealant; a total waste of time.

Meal in Marktplein

    Back at the marina I fell into conversation with an elderly Belgian couple who had popped up to the bar area. They were disappointed when they discovered it was closed; they had walked all the way from town. "Ten years ago, it would be open all the time. Nowadays, they make a lot of money, and they make it easily, so they only open when they want," the old woman informed me. "I went to Britain once, to the Island (sic) of Wight," she continued.
    The pair were curious about where we had sailed from, and reeled out a string of places along the south coast. When I explained we had sailed from East Anglia, they were at a loss, so I provided a little education utilising maps.
    "It is perhaps not good for your economy after Britain left Europe," stated the man, "I think perhaps 60-70% of Britain would like your country to return to Europe," he added. I chose not to enter that argument. The conversation shifted direction to immigration.
    "We have immigration problems too," the man told me. "Many Polish and Romanian lorry drivers pass through our country, and many now drive into Belgium with all their family on board. They just dump their lorries and get the necessary papers that allow them to stop in our country. These families get provided with somewhere to live, and all the white goods for free. A lot do find work; they are willing to do all the menial, dirty jobs that our own people won't do, and for low wages. Our people just want to work tapping away at keyboards."
    We had common views on the way the world is going, the rogue characters such as Putin and Trump, and our fears for our children's and grandchildren's futures.
    Meanwhile, more people turned up at the bar, only to walk away disappointed. We bade our farewells, and I returned to Duonita. We had an early start in the morning.