COXYDE--THE SCENERY OF THE DUNES
CHAPTER XI
COXYDE--THE SCENERY OF THE DUNES
The whole of the coast-line is within the province of West Flanders,
and its development in recent years is the most striking fact in
the modern history of the part of Belgium with which this volume
deals. The change which has taken place on the littoral during the
last fifteen or twenty years is extraordinary, and the contrast
between the old Flanders and the new, between the Flanders which
lingers in the past and the Flanders which marches with the times,
is brought vividly before us by the difference between such mediaeval
towns as Bruges, Furnes, or Nieuport, and the bright new places
which glitter on the sandy shores of the Flemish coast. But in
almost every corner of the dunes, close to these signs of modern
progress, there is something to remind us of that past history
which is, after all, the great charm of Flanders.
One of the most characteristic spots in the land of the dunes is
the village of Coxyde, which lies low amongst the sandhills, about
five miles west from Nieuport, out of sight of the sea, but inhabited
by a race of fisherfolk who, curiously enough, pursue their calling
on horseback.
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