Raversijde

A few months ago, when don G. enjoyed a well -deserved holiday in Spain,
we went to Ostend, to visit the former Royal Estate of Raversijde.
The wooden chalet in Norwegian style disappeared long ago. But the place
is still magnificent, there was a coastal battery during World War I and it
was also a part of the Atlantic wall, a generation later, when war
devastated our country again.
Those fortifications, kilometers of trenches and corridors, are still intact
and fully equipped, being a real time capsule.
A small fishing village was located on the site in medieval times and
some houses, and a part of the old landscape, are reconstructed. 
There is a fine museum too, and a cafeteria where they serve a good lunch.
You can also visit prince Charles little house. The late prince Charles was
regent of Belgium, just after the war and his eccentric character is reflected
in the interior of his home. While we were looking at his collection
of model trains, we had the impression that some sadness ocurred
in the place.
Indeed, if you see a picture of the prince, as a child, or as an old man,
he's never smiling.
www.west-vlaanderen.be/kwaliteit/leefomgeving/raversijde