IN "GAY OSTEND."

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 217, 13 September 1930, Page 10 (Supplement)

IN "GAY OSTEND."

INTERNATIONAL AND COSMOPOLITAN.

WHAT THE FISHES MAY THINK

(By HOEACE WYNDHAM.)

. Ostend occupies a high place in the affectiona of holiday-makers. This is well merited, for it offers attractions that are as numerous as they are varied. Thus, you can bathe, golf, gamble, dance, patronise the racecourse, or merely bask on the sands and read a novel. Nothing omitted. The Syndicat d'lnitiative see to that.

The Chalet Royal, where King Albert and his family take up their abode during July and August, is a building with a history, for it was constructed in England, and then shipped to Ostend, as a gift from Queen Victoria to her "Uncle Leopold." The big rambling palace adjoining it, where fork-beared Leopold LT. installed himself (and, if gossip is to be trusted, indulged in amorous "goings-on" with a bevy of fair but frail Belgian beauties) has now become a de luxe hotel.

Where Eoyalty goes, the crowd follows. The result is, the visitor's lists ■at the principal caravanserais along the front read like extracts from the pages of the' Almanach de Gotha, added to others from Burke and Debrett. Almost every second person has a "title"; and some of them even have two. kursaal and Digue. Like the rest of Belgium, Ostend "did its.: bit" in the war. As everybody knows, H.M.s. Vindictive made history by blockading the harbour entrance, and the Kursaal served as a hospital. But those days are gone. The Kursaal now functions in a very different manner. It is the hub of Ostend life, "featuring" (in addition to the lure of "the tables") an orchestra that is among the best in Europe. Admirable concerts are to be enjoyed there every evening; and in the afternoons a the-dansant is held. Although the Kursaal is an establishment frankly given up to pleasure, a certain etiquette is demanded within its precincts, that is, if one wishes to have a little flutter and tempt the Goddess of Chance in the cercle-privee and baccarat rooms. These portions are "select," and "the smoking" (as every foreigner still calls a dinnerjacket) ia insisted upon for masculine patrons. Still, in the. concert hall, the; restaurant, and on the terrace, etc., one may wear what one pleases. Hence, such' sartorial "whimsicalities as plusfours and pull-overs, sports coats and even Oxford-bags. Brighter Bathing." Sitting on the terrace, e.specally in the afternoon, and watching the 'bathers on the sands, or the cheerful throng sauntering along the Digue, is emphatically "the thing." This Digue, a wonderful promenade that stretches the ■whole length of the front, is the glory •of Ostend. The scene it offers is at once international and cosmopolitan. Up and down, backwards and forwards, there pass and re-pass holiday-makers from all over the world. Britons and Americans, Belgians and French, Germans and Italians, Spaniards and Russians. Even that familiar feature, the wandering Turk, staggering under a load of Manchester rugs (which he pathetically offers to the occupants of the chairs outside the cafes) is there.

With the Oriental, too, all sorts and conditions. , Smart men, and still smarter women; actors and actresses; barristers and business magnates; curates and comedians; film stars and financiers; jockeys and journalists; mondaines and demi-mondaines; poets and publishers; froth-blowers and Rotarians; boy scouts and girl guides; 0.8.E.'5; children, dogs and cats. An interminable procession. Bathing at Ostend is not the serious ceremony encountered at the average allBritish resort. Anything but. "Begone dull care!" is the municipal slogan. There is a spirit of lightness and brightness about the. scene, reflected in the cut and colour and costume of the nymphs splashing about in the waves.. .What ; the fishes think of some of them it would be interesting to learn,.for they are vivid and original and —well —daring. In -fact, the Lido is, by comparison, almost Puritanical.

"Lβ Sport." Bufc gambling and dancing and bathing are not everything. "Lβ eport" is admirably catered for at Ostend. The racecourse is among the best in Europe, and, adjoining it,, is a fine polo ground. Golf and tennis, enthusiasts (odd "John Bulls" who prefer fresh air and exercise to sitting in stuffy cafes) have every facility offered them, as have also yachtsmen and motorists. With reference to motoring, one half of the population seems to be offering trips to the other; and; every hotel concierge (with an., eyie: to "commission" from the nearest garage) thrusts a list of "nice excursions" into one's hand. There is no lack of choice. An efficient service of char-a-bancs • whisks one off to Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels and Ghent in. a. morning; and the "tour of the battle file fields," covering Ypres and Arras, can easily be accomplished between breakfast and dinner. There is also a pleasant trip to Middleburg, affording a glimpse of Holland. Cheap Living. Ostend gives value for money. Not too much of it, of course. Still, a quite appreciable amount. As elsewhere on the Continent, a tax is levied on visitors. Bufc it is a very trifling one, since it ranges—according to the class of hotel patronised—from 50 cents to a couple of francs a day. Where hotel tariffs are concerned, the local Boniface is agreeably moderate, and does not endeavour to make M 3 guests pay for the war. 2Tp Deauville or Riviera methods at Ostend, As a matter of fact one can—except in an absolutely de luxe establishment (replete with gold-braided flunkeys and jazz bands) live very well for 10/ a day. Nothing to grumble at about this. Nor. do the Ostend shopkeepers (after the fashion of their confreres.at Monte Carlo) exploit the stranger ; more than is good for him. Real necessities, such as tobacco and spirits, are procurable at half the amount charged in England. Whisky, 7/ a bottle. A paradise for Scotsmen. No wonder special trips are advertised from Aberdeen. Gallant efforts, too, are made to attract the all-British tourist by professing familiarity with his language and requirements. Nearly every second shop announces, "Englisch spoke well herein" , and "Nice strong tea in cups" is a second familiar legend. Not to be outdone, others bait - their hooka jwi£E- the assurance, "No extra charge for having Englisch cash."