It has been quiet after Rome but finally Marie-France and I (a.k.a. The Milkyway) managed to make another trip. This time we went to Ostend at the Belgian seaside for a two-day-escape. Nothing more relaxing than spending some quality time with one of your best friends. Besides laughing and having long conversations about life we also wandered around and visited a few very nice spots, let’s have a look 😉

1. To drink: Koffiebar Familie Jansen

First stop (Marie-France “I really need a latte when we arrive”) was Koffiebar Familie Jansen where they were out of soy milk but the very friendly lady offered us a delicious alternative: a cappuccino with coconut milk and a piece of lime. When it comes to coffee I’m usually quite conservative but I must admit, this was a very pleasant surprise (Marie-France “the best cappuccino I ever tasted”).

Koffiebar Familie Jansen – Kapucijnenstraat – Ostend  

 

 

2. To sleep: Hotel Burlington

I was so busy snapchatting in the hotel that I forgot to take pictures so I borrowed some from their website 😉 As the title already mentions, we stayed at hotel Burlington which is located in one of the main shopping streets and very close to the station. If I’d have to fill in the booking.com file right now, it would probably be something like this: the staff was very friendly, the room was clean and quiet, I had a good night sleep, took a relaxing bath and ate too much during breakfast (I’m a sucker for delicious buffets). I guess those are all the ingredients a good hotel needs!

Hotel Burlington –  Kapellestraat – Ostend 

 

3. To dine: Restaurant ‘t Groote Huys

 

Both Marie-France and I can eat a lot (what you see on social media is what we actually ate, fyi) After lunch we had a waffle and after the waffle we headed to restaurant ‘t Groote Huys for a 3-course-menu. I must admit again that I’m secretly a big fan of the traditional Belgian cuisine. This really doesn’t sound sexy and I’m very aware of the fact that it’s way “cooler” to like Japanese, Indian or Thai or whatever. But for me nothing beats a good plate of fries or mashed potatoes.

So I was happy to enter the beautiful classical building ‘t Groote Huys is located in, very charming. The waiter spoiled us with a glass of cava while we decided to take the traditional menu: “garnaalkroketjes”, steak with fries and “chocomousse” (sorry, this just sounds better in Dutch). I rarely eat meat nor fish at home so for once I allowed myself to make an exception. And the food was everything it needed to be, nice and easy!

‘t Groote Huys – Karel Janssenslaan – Ostend 

 

4. To shop: Lulu Store

 

Besides the chainstores, there are quite some nice little shops to discover in Ostend. Marie-France and I went to have a look at Lulu Store. Besides the beautiful brands sold here (MM6, Vivienne Westwood, Jean-Paul Gaultier, do I need to say more ;)) I really liked the fact that the owner took the time to have a chat with us. He’s an experienced Parisian with a clear vision on fabrics, fits and quality. It was a very refreshing and instructive conversation.

After a one-hour-chat we unfortunately had to go but I’m definitely going back there my next visit!

Lulu Store – Van Iseghemlaan – Ostend 

 

5. To relax: walk along the beach

 

When at the seaside there’s always one must: to see the sea even when the weather isn’t that great. Just walking, talking and hearing the sound of the waves relaxes me. Next time I won’t wear heels tho 😉

What we didn’t visit due to a lack of time is the Thermae Palace at the Koningin Astridlaan. I read there’s an excellent spa and it’s just one of Ostend’s most impressive buildings.

 6. To lunch: De Lunchbar & wijnbistro Divino

Like I already mentioned… we might have eaten a bit too much during our stay but we have plenty of time left to go on a diet (I guess). Day 1 we had fish stew at wine bistro Divino. It wasn’t the creamy dish I initially had in mind but a light version with loads of vegetables, really delicious! The owner was a very kind man who let us taste all the wines and even didn’t dare to bother when he wanted to leave and we couldn’t stop talking 🙂 Day 2 we had a reservation at De Lunchbar, a pop-up restaurant located at De Groentemarkt 6. Both Marie-France and I chose a tasty healthy salad to compensate for all the waffles and pancakes. Apparently Lunchbar is a pop-up since the building will be renovated but I hope they can stay since it’s definitely an asset for Ostend!

Divino – Wittenonnenstraat / Lunchbar – Groentemarkt – Ostend

 

7. To visit: Home of James Ensor

You can’t go to Ostend and not visit the house where one of its most famous artists lived. James Ensor was a Belgian painter who lived in the late 19th and early 20th century, currently you’d have to travel all around the world to see his symbolic paintings.

He inherited the “Ensor home” from his aunt and uncle in 1917 and lived there until he died. On the ground floor there’s still the original souvenir shop he closed but kept intact out of respect for his family. The most interesting rooms are located on the second floor. There you can actually experience how his home looked like in  beginning of the 20th century, a very colorful interior where there was no room left for minimalism.

Being in this house made me realize once more how fast things change in such a short notice!

The home of James Ensor – Vlaanderenstraat – Ostend 

 

 

8. For personal reasons: Palace by Luk Van Soom

 

The first time I stayed in Ostend was around 29 years ago when we were there with the family for the launch my dad’s sculpture “Palace”. Even though I was only a baby I can still remember the hotel and the fact that I got white bread for breakfast (my mom raised me as a healthy child, my love for junkfood only started when I grew older).

It’s nice to see that Palace is still there and as a proud daughter I of course needed to pose in front of it 😉

Thanks Ostend for being so kind to us, we’ll see each other again soon!

 

With special thanks to Stad Oostende & Ambassy  for inviting us