2012 - Picardy and Flanders

A Soldier of the Great War, Ramscappelle Road CWGC Cemetery, Nieuwpoort, Belgium. LEST WE FORGET.

Grave of Rifleman A Howard, West Yorkshire Regiment, Ramscappelle Road CWGC Cemetery, Nieuwpoort, Belgium. LEST WE FORGET.

Bench with poppies behind. Toevluchtweg, Nieuwpoort, Belgium.

Kusttram (Coast Tram) pictured here in Nieuwpoort. The tram line runs the entire length of the Belgian Coastline, from the border with France to the border with the Netherlands.

Kusttram (Coast Tram) pictured here in Nieuwpoort. The tram line runs the entire length of the Belgian Coastline, from the border with France to the border with the Netherlands.

“You Are Here”, Nieuwpoort, Belgium.

Another curious art installation, Nieuwpoort, Belgium.

Belgian post box.

"Onderwaterzettung. Oktober 1914" In October 1914 the Belgian authorities reluctantly opened the sluice-gates of the Yser and flooded a large section of Flanders in order to slow the advancing German forces.

This sculpture, made of cast iron plates, stands on the Belgian Coast slightly west of Middelkerke. It commemorates the fact that several of these beasts were used over the course of a couple of years to re-shape the coastline repairing the damage caused by coastal erosion. Underneath the machine, in the centre, was a geocache attached to the metal plates. In order to retrieve it, you had to lie flat on the floor and wriggle your way into the centre of the machine, avoiding the sharp edges.

Cite Europe shopping mall.

Stadt Ostende bicycle. Municipally owned bicycles that anyone can use.

Our unit at Kompascamping, Nieuwpoort, Belgium.

Equestrian statue of King Leopold II, king of Belgium from 1865 to 1909. Interestingly, the Belgian monarch is correctly styled "King of the Belgians" rather than "King of Belgium", emphasising his connection with the people and not just the country.

Statue on the seafront, Ostend. Sorry - I don't know who it represents.

I'm really not sure what this is. From a distance I thought it was some type of bench, but as we got closer I see that what I thought was the seat is actually scooped out - so I suspect that it is in fact a form of horse trough. Ostende.

Another sculpture along the seafront at Nieuwpoort, the inscription translates as "Goddess of the Wind".

Mature lady on a bicycle, Nieuwpoort Beach, Belgium.