De Haan

Ria and I took the company jet to Belgium with a plan to visit the seaside town of De Haan. We drove there, through countryside that Ria was familiar with. She stopped along the way to show me some of the larger houses in the countryside. She called these castles; I wouldn't call them castles, but they were certainly beautiful luxury homes.

These old country homes have been in the same family for generations. 

Since they are located in the country, they often had animals nearby. Usually there were ponies, sheep and geese, but this little guy was hanging around, too. I think he's a small fallow deer.

There was one house I actually would call a castle. What a beauty!

We continued on to De Haan. This seaside town is a resort destination with a small-town feel. I would have loved to ride horses along the beach, like these folks. 

Instead, I opted to ride a double bike with Ria! We did great - nobody fell off.

Then we went to the Ailzee hotel and restaurant. What a pretty building! 

We came here because Ria knows the people who run the restaurant, and she introduced me to these nice folks.