1936 On the Continent

of September). The visitors generally pay little attention to the fishing port of Ostend, and it is a great pity. Only the most curious walk the milethat separates them from the fishermen’s quarter, picturesque and popular, and the wharves from which the masts and the brick-coloured sails of the heavy fishing boats rise—lumbering boats that call up visions of great struggles with the elements, and of untiring labour. Between nine o’clock at night and midnight one can see them sailing past the pier, one after the other, for the goal that will only be reached in the small hours. It is a grand and harrowing sight, this sailing of the fishing fleet: each little gleam afar proclaiming the presence of from five to ten fishermen, casting their nets upon their fleeting prey. And early in the morning it is thrilling to see them sailing home, then offering their catch, selling at an exceedingly low price the small baskets of fish—most of these wriggling still—or the baskets of shrimps that the men have cooked on their return journey.
A Hardy Race
    These men, more than all others, live close to nature, engaged in a constant struggle against poverty. They are ill-paid, to judge by their houses and their belongings. Thousands of these men supply the market with fish for the whole country, and they are a race apart, with their sunburnt, brick-coloured faces, their piercing blue eyes and their broad shoulders. They are a silent race, too, and lead simple lives.
    “I’m glad you showed me that first,” said Muriel. “One forgets too easily that the seaside is not only pleasure land. The sea not only links the continents together, it is also the scene of hard struggles and a source of life.
    “And its waves become soft and caressing beneath the sunshine when they are rent by the happy, laughing bathers. For work is beautiful because it earns play for us. Come and rest here. Forget the day’s troubles. Let’s have our first bathe.”
    You can bathe at any hour at Ostend.
    The baths, newly built along the beach and efficiently planned on modern lines, are among the finest on the Continent. The cabins are built under the Digue. They are very comfortable. Shower baths, hot or cold, can betaken before or after bathing, and if you haven’t brought your bathing things, everything can be hired for a very reasonable sum. In front of the sea a great expanse of sand has been reserved where you can indulge in sunbathing, or run or play at “volley ball.” All this is excellent for the circulation, and it is as well to encourage a good circulation, since that allows one to indulge in agreeable excesses.
    If, in turn, these excesses call for cures, there are plenty of remedies to hand, chief of them being the mineral-water springs at Ostend, which have acquired a great reputation.
Some Practical Hints
    In the evening Muriel asked:
    “Must I dress for dinner? At what time do you dine in this charming country? And is the food good?”
    “My dear, Belgium, with France, is the country in Europe where the food is best. Belgians are very fond of their food and are very careful in their choice of drinks. They are at once greedy and ‘gourmet.’ Breakfast is a simple matter with them: a few rolls and butter and something hot to drink. But if you should need something more substantial, you can have bacon and eggs or ham (you’ll be able to get this everywhere). The most important meal is at midday. Generally, it is composed of soup, hors d’œuvres, a fish course, meat, vegetables and potatoes, cheese and dessert. The evening meal is served between seven and eight o’clock, and is a little lighter than the midday meal. There is usually no fish course. This is a general rule for the table d’hôte meals, the price of which varies, according to the quality of the restaurant, from twenty to forty francs, drinks included.”
    “What do twenty or forty francs represent?”
    “The rate of exchange is in your favour. For £1 you will receive (if there is no great upheaval on the exchange market) about 150 francs. This means that a good meal costs about three shillings (twenty francs). In the very fashionable hotels, and the one you are staying at, the price of a room is about eight or ten shillings. So you see that for a pound a day you will be more than comfortable in Belgium. The more so as there is a great numberof hotels along the coast, in the Ardennes, and in the great tourist centres, where the inclusive charge for