The Belgian Flanders? coast may have 13 towns and resorts but Ostend is the only Flemish seaside city. This is where expressionism and surrealism in art was born and where both Kings Leopolds I and II called their favourite holiday hot spot.Ostend had its hey day in the 60s and 70s when royalty and the well heeled sojourned there for its wellbing and spa facilities. But like everything else from that period, its time for a comeback. And now there is only one direct ferry service from the UK courtesy of LD Lines this would be a great time to visit.What is the seafront like?Ostend is a lively, child-friendly seafront city dominated by Belgium?s biggest (and newly renovated) casino ? the Kursaal. Looking slick in its newly refurbished building, it offers a coffee shop, lounge and a luxurious penthouse seafood restaurant whose large windows offer amazing views over the sea whose fruits you will be enjoying.The elegant Albert I promenade follows the curve of the beach which looks so pretty fringed with a generously wide ribbon of soft sand neatly that?s adorned with line with a line cute white beach huts.It's summer kite festival sees the sand and sky ablaze with flying colours.The promenade makes for a lovely stroll or bimble on a bike or stop off at one of the seafront restaurants and cafes for some al fresco people watching.What about the shopping?If you can break away from the beach, head to Kapellestraat and the parallel Christinastraat where high end shops peddle their luxury goods. On the corner of Kapelstraat and Wapenplein, a shopping arcade offers outlets such as Esprit and L?Occitane.Why go now?James Ensor (1860-1949), a locally born artist and famous gastronome is 150 years old this year. Quite the eccentric, Ensor would feed the dark echelons of his imagination in Ostend. He was not a transvestite, yet he found his eureka moments while bimbling his way through Ostend dressed in flamboyant frocks and hats.His dismal view of humanity is well depicted in skeletal forms, phantoms, masks and other images of grotesque fantasy and his art has been heralded as the beginning of expressionism and surrealism.Right now until 3 April 2011 the city?s restaurants are celebrating his 150th anniversary by offering themed dining experiences entitled ?Dinner with Ensor?.Eight gastronomic restaurants are participating and diners receive an exclusive flax cotton napkin and a silver-plated napkin ring engraved with James Ensor?s signature as a gift. The napkins have one of Ensor?s the eight ?The Deadly Sins? woven into it.� A four course dinner costs 95 euros including wine and beer. Start your sins at the gastronomic restaurant ?De Bistronoom? on Vindictivelaan 22 where your napkin depicts lazinessA tad expensive? then choose from 17 other participating bistros and restaurants.such as Moi et la Mer? bistro on the Albert 1 promenade on the sea front, Their gift is an appetiser napkin woven with a part of the James Ensor painting ?Baths at Ostend?. This painting was once banned from the public eye for containing too much nudity. A four course feast costs 45 euros per person excluding wine.Where can James Ensor?s Work be seen?The house in which James Ensor was brought up at Vlaanderenstraat 27, has been turned into a souvenir shop fronted museum. It is based on the style of the old souvenir shop his mother ran. Check out odd curiosities such as masks, some grotesque, and sea shells. (Open 10am to 12 noon and 2pm to 5pm. Closed Tuesdays. Entry 2 euros, kids to 18 years free).Or pop into the Provincial Museum of Modern Art (PMMK) at Rommestraat 11 to view a superb collection of Belgian Expressionism which includes Ensor?s work.A bit of war time HistoryOn the outskirts of Ostend at Damain Raversijde is the Atlantic Wall built by the Germans. Its stretchess from Norway to Spain and comprises sixty bunkers, storage facilities, personnel quarter and machine gun nests interconnected by two km of trenches. It had to withstand an invasion of occupied Europe by the Allies. It offers an interesting insight in the mind of the architects who thought of all eventualities. (Open 10.30am to 6pm, Entry 9,75 euros). There?s also Napoleons? Fort which stands proud against the British invasion. But in never came and Napoleon fell in 1814 but the fort was used by the German military. These days big companies use the fort for team building games but tourists can enjoy a gourmet meal in the fort restaurant. (0pen 10am to 6pm, Entry 5 euros per person).Discounts to attractionsCity Pass gives access to 11 attractions including the Atlantic Wall and James Ensor House. A 24 hour spass costs 12 euros and is available at the tourist office at Monacoplein 2 More information: Visit FlandersGetting thereLD Lines / Transeuropa Ferries operate the exclusive ferry service between Ramsgate and Ostend ? the only cross channel passenger ferry link between Kent and Belgium. Four return sailings daily are provided with a crossing time of four hours.Short break fares start from �78 return for a car and two passengers and Autumn Break fares from �59 single for a car and up to nine passengers. Find cheap flights to Ostend-Bruges Cheap Flights with Budget Airlines 1 October 2010
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