Category: West Flanders / West-Vlaanderen (Page 1 of 2)

Street Art: The Crystal Ship in Ostend

11th August 2018 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

The Belgium coast is mostly famous for it’s ugly buildings and crowded beaches the moment the suns casts it’s first summer rays. But did you know that the Queen of the Bath Cities, as Ostend is often referred to, is home to an impressive collection of street art? Yes, for the third time running, Belgian’s largest coastal city forms the backdrop for the popular art festival The Crystal Ship.

This year over fifteen artists created large scale murals and art installations using Ostend as their canvas. The new artworks became a permanent addition to the fifty larger and hundreds of smaller creations which resulted from the past two editions. Together they form an impressive artistic trail throughout Ostend.

You can discover the art works on foot or rent a bike to get around even faster and absorb more of the art.

Alexis Diaz:

Oak Oak:

Pastel:

Unknown artist (not part of The Crystal Ship catalogue):

Pol Cosmo and Jaune:

Bué The Warrior and Jaune:

Isaac Cordal (it takes a bit of an effort to find the artwork):

Levalet:

Strook:

Pixel Pancho:

I hope you enjoyed this little virtual tour. Please let me know which is your favorite work of art.

Petrus: “Fresh pancakes”

26th March 2016 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

We went here with friends for some coffee, tea and pancakes. The two boys really enjoyed their pancakes, which were freshly made. My tea was also very nice, accompagnied by a little chocolate easter egg.

Staff was very friendly. It was a bit chilly inside though because of the staff passing through the door to the terrace a lot to serve the people outside.

Just a nice place to take a break from visiting Wipers.

Petrus, Grote Markt 20, Ieper (Ypres) 8900, Belgium
+32 57 21 60 15

Visited March 2016. You can find my review about Petrus also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 3/5, food 4/5.

Saint Martin’s Cathedral: “A place for silent reflection”

14th September 2015 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

Beautiful cathedral, a must see when you are staying in Ypres. The church was rebuilt after World War I. Saint Martin’s Catheral actually is no longer a cathedral, but it still feels like one.

Saint Martin’s Cathedral, Vandenpeerboomplein, Ieper (Ypres), Belgium
http://www.toerisme-ieper.be/item.php?itemno=485_465_142_145_229_226_191&lang=EN

Visited October 2014. You can find my review about Saint Martin’s Cathedral also on TripAdvisor.

Hostellerie Vijfwegen Bis: “Pleasant stay”

13th December 2014 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

In november we stayed one night in this hotel. Staff was friendly, the room and the bathroom were very spacious and clean. Shame about the twin beds though. In such a big room I would expect a Queen size double bed. The bed could have been more comfortable, but all in all in slept ok. I liked the way the room was decorated with a touch of originality.

Breakfast was excellent. Many options to choose from and we were served superb scrambled eggs. Really enjoyed this breakfast on a quiet sunday morning. It was very nice that the staff allowed us to sleep in untill 10 o’clock, so we could take breakfast a bit later after a night out with friends.

Hostellerie Vijfwegen Bis, Hoogstraat 166, Roeselare 8800, Belgium

Stayed November 2014. You can find my review about Hostellerie Vijfwegen Bis also on TripAdvisor. My scores: location 3/5, rooms 4/5, service 5/5.

Dharma Bed & Breakfast: “Lovely host, beautiful house”

27th April 2014 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

Dharma B&B is situated in the center of Kortrijk very close to lots of nice restaurants and shops. Linda is a superb hostess. Very friendly and welcoming, always giving tips to enjoy Kortrijk. Breakfast is excellent. So many lovely cheeses and slices meats to choose from. Every breakfast comes with fruits, yoghurt, nuts and a boiled egg. Lovely. We also enjoyed having breakfast with the other guest and exchanging stories with them.

We stayed in the superioer room, which was beautifully decorated with antiques from an antique shop owned by a friend of Linda. Our room was a little bit dark for our taste and internet didn’t work too well, but we had lots of room and a very clean and spacious bathroom with a shower and a large bath tub.

Since the room has single pane windows, noices from the street can effect your sleep at night. Since the room isn’t insulated very well, I can imagine it will be a bit chilly in winter.

Dharma Bed & Breakfast, Groeningestraat 18, Kortrijk 8500, Belgium

Stayed April 2014. You can find my review about Dharma Bed & Breakfast also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, location 5/5, sleep quality 3/5, rooms 4/5, cleanliness 5/5, service 5/5.

Sansai: “Great food, service could be better”

27th April 2014 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

Sansai is a beautiful decorated restaurant in the heart of Kortrijk. We ordered a starter and a main course. I had mussels as a starter which were excellent. The kind of course I would gladly travel to Kortrijk for again. My main course was a stew with salmon and noodles. Very good, but a little heavy for me. Quality of the food was very good and the value for money was excellent.

Service could be better though. The staff wasn’t very attentive to our needs. They seemed busy doing other stuff and we felt a bit ignored. Shame.

Sansai, Grote Markt 40, Kortrijk 8500, Belgium
+32 56 20 02 11

Visited April 2014. You can find my review about Sansai also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, atmosphere 4/5, service 2/5, food 4/5.

Beau’M: “Uitstekende bediening”

21st April 2014 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

Wij verbleven tijdens het paasweekend in Kortrijk en dit restaurant werd ons aangeraden door de vriendelijke uitbaatster van onze B&B. Wij reserveerden een tafeltje voor twee om zeker te zijn van een plaats.

We werden heel vriendelijk welkom geheten en kregen meteen de menukaart toegestopt. Wij kozen de marktmenu. Een mooie driegangenmenu voor een aanvaardbare prijs. We namen allebei de carpaccio als voorgerecht en de paling in ‘t groen als hoofdgerecht. Voor het dessert liet ik me verleiden door de crème brûlée en mijn vriend koos de chocomousse. Alle gerechten waren zeer lekker en mooi geserveerd.

De bediening was erg vriendelijk en efficiënt. Nooit lang moeten wachten en altijd met de glimlach bediend. Toen ik per ongeluk mijn mes liet vallen, kwam de ober al een nieuw mes brengen nog voordat ik erom had kunnen vragen.

Het interieur is gezellig en de ligging (op de Grote Markt) is ideaal. Het lijkt me ook leuk om hier in de zomer op het terras te eten. Klein minpuntje: er scheelde iets met de afstelling van de lichten, want zo nu en dan flikkerden deze of werden ze plots gedimd.

Beau’M, Grote Markt 22, Kortrijk 8500, Belgium
http://www.beau-m.be/
+32 56 22 42 20

Visited April 2014. You can find my review about Beau’M also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, atmosphere 4/5, service 5/5, food 4/5.

De Mosselbeurs: “Nice restaurant with lovely interior”

15th September 2013 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

Based on the Tripadvisor reviews I ended up having diner in De Mosselbeurs. I didn’t go for the obvious choice: the mussels, but decided to go for one of the suggestions: turbot fillet with arugula and lemon puree. The fish was fresh and the combination with the arugula and lemon puree was absolutely fabulous. Loved the dried tomatoes and capers. Service was very friendly. And I loved the atmosphere of the place with beautiful black and white tiles and a spiraling stair case in the middle of the room. For desert I enjoyed me some crème brûlée with orange and lemon zest which was delicious. In total my meal costed 42 euro, which is a little bit on the pricey side, I guess.

Information
De Mosselbeurs (reopening as Mommys Bastards)
Dwarsstraat 10
8400 Ostend
Belgium
http://www.demosselbeurs.be/
https://www.facebook.com/DeMosselbeurs/
https://www.mommysbastards.be/

Visited September 2013. You can find my review about De Mosselbeurs also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 3/5, atmosphere 4/5, service 4/5, food 4/5.

Hotel Chamdor: “Nice big room, very good service”

6th May 2013 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

The building itself isn’t much and the location is far from beautiful, but the room we booked was spacious and very clean and quiet. We felt very welcome. Breakfast was fine with a nice soft boiled egg. We booked the suite because of the modern looking bath tub which turned out to be rather small for two persons.

Hotel Chamdor, Robaardstraat 10, Roeselare 8800, Belgium

Stayed April 2013. You can find my review about Hotel Chamdor also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, location 3/5, sleep quality 4/5, rooms 5/5, cleanliness 4/5, service 5/5.

In Flanders Fields Museum: “Recently renewed”

7th November 2012 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

This museum tells the harrowing story of the first world wore which devastated the Westhoek region and destroyed numerous lives of young men, children almost. The museum uses modern technology to show the hardship of war. An absolute must see when you visit Ipres.

In Flanders Fields Museum, Grote Markt 34, Ieper (Ypres) 8900, Belgium
http://www.inflandersfields.be/
+32 57 23 92 20

Visited October 2012. You can find my review about In Flanders Fields Museum also on TripAdvisor.