Hen party in de Haan

So I have lived in Belgium for almost 2 years now but have never been to the coast.  I had heard wonderful things about "boardwalks, bikes, shops, sand" but had never experienced it for myself.  Well since my dear friend Fiona is getting married in 4 weeks time some of us decided to throw her a "hen party"- what is a hen party?  good question- it is the British version of a bachelorette party.  Usually you see them walking around town, wearing pink shirts with the soon to be brides picture on it, making her do crazy things.  Our hen party was a little more subdued.  Fiona had a meeting on Saturday morning so we didn't leave until about 1:30-when we headed to the coast.   That Fiona and I in the front and sarah and Christie in the back!

 We got there around 3, found a place to park and then hunted down the sand-it didn't take long to find- it was like 1 1/2 blocks away:)  we had packed a picnic lunch and so we laid our blankets on the sand and proceeded to dig in.  The only problem was that it was a bit windy but that did not stop us from enjoying the gorgeous sunshine! 

After we ate we went down to the water and stuck our feet in the water expecting it to be freezing cold- we were pleasantly surprised to find it actually warm!  

When our hair was sufficiently wind blown we headed off the beach in search of restrooms and a cafe for a hot drink.  We sat in a cafe and Fiona shared the stories of her past relationships(her frogs before the prince).  Then we walked a bit more down the boardwalk(not so much "board"walk as cement walk)  A kind random Flemish person took out picture.

Sarah- "walk in slow motion so I can get your pciture"

Us- "ok"

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Christie, me and Sarah

before we headed back to my place where we had a wonderful spread of baked goods, cheeses, hummus, chips and drinks!  We watched Father of the Bride(very appropriate), opened gifts, and tried to keep Christie awake:)  This was probably one of my favorite days in Belgium so far!