Antropological observations along the tide line

We spent a week at the Belgian coast the previous week in De Panne,  near the French border. Our children were well-prepared and equiped with buckets, shovels, rakes, Frisbees, beach racquets, ... 

Almost immediately on the beach they started building their fort. Trenches are to be dug, walls to be erected and our recent visit to Ypres where we explained the Vauban fortifications inspired them to test some star-shaped fortifications. 

And then high tide rolls in and the first water pushes the walls and starts crumbling them down. There are screams and a rush of activity....new trenches, higher walls, ad hoc reinforcements to be made. Nope, the first line of defence is lost...retreat in a hastily new line of fortification etc.  And of course half an hour later you are looking at the waves above what once was the fortress. 

The funny thing is that the same story repeats itself each day.  I had recommended to start building higher up, but that's not as threatening so not as much fun, I learned.  

When high tide is approaching, in fact, you see the entire coastline with little walls. Some people have prepared a high pile of sand beforehand and stubbornly sit on it like an island until there is no more island.  Others are digging quickly some walls to protect their towels, when clearly they hadn't picked a spot on the beach with much observation or thinking...rather than moving to higher and drier sand, they rush to dig for some protection.  

Young and old are all united in a similar ritual. A hopeless ritual that is doomed before starting.  But everyone is digging and building before the water comes, and then observes it all fall apart into the waves. 

It didn't last

it didn't last either

some welcome the water in their fort like a little pool and chill while further down a lot of construction work is still ongoing 

Little dikes are supposed to protect the low towels

Another big architectural landscape lost at sea....