Friday, December 27, 2013

A Refuge between Borders

Het Zien is the name of a nature reserve situated at the mouth of Westschelde between Cadzand Bad, Netherlands (right side) and Knokke-Heist, Belgium (on the left).
In past times a tidal channel served as access for Bruges port but over centuries the waterway silted, and it came to a definite end as a shipping route.
The salt marsh area, the dunes and sand plains then became a refuge for birds and salt-loving plant life, and was made a natural reserve in order to protect wildlife.
The flow of the low tide water left ephemeral ripples in the sand. 
Again we were blessed with mild temperatures and a blasting blue sky. What a beautiful winter day! One could walk for hours if it weren't for the fresh gale which was tiring us out after a while.
The poles serve as cutwater and protect the shore. We guessed that those might be buried three meters (10 feet) deep in the sand to be able to endure the tidal waves.
Aside from the practicality the barriers also make for a picturesque scenery.
Roland and mom goofing around.
It was early afternoon but we were already casting long shadows, and after a couple of hours walk in the sand we were ready again for a warming cup of tea.
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7 comments:

  1. TrobairitzDecember 27, 2013 at 7:50 AM

    Beautiful photos Sonja. A wonderful place to walk and spend the day.

    Those ripples in the sand are really neat. Great picture.

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    1. SonjaMDecember 27, 2013 at 11:55 AM

      Thanks, Brandy. We enjoyed the lovely day to its fullest.

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  2. Martha TenneyDecember 27, 2013 at 11:05 AM

    Beautiful sky and earth. Photo 3- grasses and open sky. Nearly kills me whenever and wherever I see that. Add big open water and it's perfect. I just have to get there someday.

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  3. Richard MDecember 27, 2013 at 5:05 PM

    That refuge is a beautiful area and the photos are wonderful. I like the ripples in the sand as well as the shots of the log breakwater.

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    1. SonjaMDecember 30, 2013 at 11:24 PM

      Richard, it is beautiful but I had hoped for more bird life. Unfortunately most are transient and move South before winter kicks in.

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  4. YvonneDecember 30, 2013 at 9:38 PM

    and again ... stunning pictures. reminds us on our vacations in denmark, pretty similar landscape ;-).

    have a wonderful new years eve and an amazing 2014! looking forward to all of your pictures from all over europe.

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    1. SonjaMDecember 30, 2013 at 11:26 PM

      Thanks Yvonne, looks like Denmark was what we thought as well. We had spent a lot of time in Denmark when we were younger, and liked it a lot (you could actually walk everywhere in the dunes). We gave Holland a go because it was closer to home.

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