Boulogne sur Mer

We found plenty to interest and occupy us in Boulogne sur Mer, a lovely town with the River Liane flowing through it situated on the French coast about 30Kms south of Calais. It is France's largest fishing port and in the late afternoons we could watch the catches being brought ashore. We were sorry we didn't have cooking facilities to cook some of the fresh fish, but the local riverside restaurants did so very well.

The photo of boats on river, big building opposite, and basilica's dome in background is the lovely view from our hotel window. The town centre was only five minutes walk away. The first day we were there was cloudy but the next five fine with temps in mid 20s.









The town dates from the 2nd century when a walled town was built on a rocky spur overlooking the estuary. In the 13th century a new wall was superimposed on the Roman walls whose outlines have been preserved. The walls remain intact and are formidable, and up to 4m wide in places.

This aerial photo is on a placemat which we brought home for Blair. In the foreground the castle -Le Chateau Comtal- is on the eastern corner of the walls and its entrance is within. You can see it in this photo. During WW II German troops were garrisoned within the castle, which had a drawbridge. A local citizen guided Allied troops through a secret passage into the castle, and it was taken. The wall can be traced by following the lines of trees around.

To the left in the old town can be seen a tower, which is the Belfy of Boulogne sur Mer. It was constructed in the late 12th century , and was part of the first known Count's castle. The belfry function was to accommodate the bell, and to provide a safe shelter for the seal, the Charter, and other documents, valuable property of the municipality. Local government buildings are still functioning within the walled old city today.

The Notre-Dame Basilica can also be seen in this aerial view. It was started in 1827 on the ruins of the previous cathedral, but not completed until the 1870's.




















The dome above the main altar is a lofty 100m above ground level. Behind the sanctuary are six semicircular areas, some with altars. You will see in a couple of these photos that the plaster is cracked, and frescos faded. It is intended to  carry out remedial restoration and painting to restore these to their former glory. As the basilica is within the "old town" with its streets, city council and government buildings and very old houses, it was difficult to stand far enough back to get a decent photo of the outside.

The history of this town is fascinating. The Emperor Claudius used it as the base for the Roman invasion of Britain in AD43. In the Middle Ages an important Count, Eustace II, assisted William the Conqueror in his conquest of England. The area was fought over by the French and English, and  included several English occupations during the course of the Hundred Years War. During the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon amassed 80,000 troops of La Grande Arme there in 1805 with the intention of invading England. However his plans were thwarted by the supremacy of the British Royal Navy. During the First World War, Boulogne was the debarkation port for the first unit of the British Expeditionary Force to land in France, and for many others after that. During the Second World War, in May 1940, the German 2nd Panzer Division overwhelmed the British defence. The town was liberated at the end of the war by the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division.

We were fortunate to be there on Saturday 21 June for Midsummer's Day as the town put on a huge music festival and we must have seen 10 different bands and gigs, several of whom had come from England.  You can probably imagine how happy Paul was to find one of them singing Beatles songs. Lovely balmy evening. One of the most popular performers was Bill Deraime, a French blues singer.We came back to the hotel at 11.30pm but many of the revellers probably partied the night away. We could hear the music in the distance as we went to sleep. The streets were very quiet in the morning when we walked up the hill for 11am Mass at Notre-Dame Basilica. There was a rowing regatta happening on the river outside our hotel when we came back, so that was good to watch.

One of my favourite places has been the beach. Very clean, extensive, and not crowded. It was intriguing to see what the locals brought out from their rented beach huts. Several older ladies probably in their 80s unlocked all theirs, and brought out a deck chair each, then proceeded to have a lively conversation. A woman in her 40s opened her end one near where I was sitting and brought out 4 deck chairs with cushions, a table, sun umbrellas,  and a wind shelter, the stakes for which she hammered in. She then went back inside, hung a curtain over the doorway, emerged in her bikini, and waited for her friends to arrive with wines, olives, baguettes etc. Very sociable!

And the cafes and restaurants were great. As for the Saturday market in the village square, there was such a variety of breads, cheeses, olives, and fresh vegetables, fish, meat and flowers. Many locals there stocking up, picking over the produce, haggling with the stall holders, and having animated noisy conversations with friend. Also in the village square was the Saint Nicholas Church, which dates from the 13th century and is the oldest church in Boulogne.

The photo of Paul basking in the sun was taken at 10pm, and the town lights and sunset one an hour later! It is at 50.6degrees N latitude. We talked with a Swedish lady and her 11 year old son on a train in Paris and they were saying that at this time of year they only have about one hour of darkness.

We left Boulogne sur Mer feeling relaxed, refreshed and recharged. Good way to feel nearing the end of our holiday. Caught the bus again for another train trip through the Channel Tunnel  back to London. From there we returned to Singapore, had a 22hr stopover before going on to Auckland. The beautiful orchid gardens in these photos are inside Changi Airport at Singapore.

On our Saturday in Auckland Mike, Desiree and Anthony kindly hosted us to a delicious lunch, along with Rosarie and Baron Mark  De Courcy. He was steeped in the family history and we were very interested to meet him.

Then Taradale in Hawkes Bay with Sandra and family for four days. We so enjoyed seeing Jonty's school production while we were there. So much talent in 9 and 10 year olds. Jonty was an alien actor, a sensational solo singer, an amazing aerobics performer, and a dynamic dancer in a male ballet (well, almost, there was one girl). Photos here. 

Also one of Paul with all four of our fun Taradale grand-children.

And then back home after 8 weeks away - visiting some wonderful places and meeting some delightful people.

Lovely to have Karen, Erik and Blair here to welcome us back.  They are presently in the USA over the school holidays, enjoying time with Erik's Mom, Toni, and other family at East Hampton, and catching up with friends in San Francisco.

Versailles

The Palace of Versailles is reputed to be one of the world's most famous World Heritage buildings. It is said to be the finest and most complete achievement of French art in the 17th century. The brick and stone palace of Louis XIII was transformed and greatly enlarged by his son Louis XIV who installed the Court and Seat of Government there in 1682. We had plenty of time to admire the outside of the well proportioned complex and its decorative gates and fences, as we queued for 40 minutes to go in to the palace. 

There are many awesome paintings in the downstairs galleries. The Battles Gallery was designed in 1833 and opened in 1837 by which time Louis Philippe had brought together 33 paintings depicting the battles which France had fought - from the Batle of Tolbiac in 496 to the Battle of Wagram in 1809. It also contains 80 busts of famous officers who were killed in combat. Here is a photo of one of the battle paintings. It was huge, almost covering the wall (sorry about the flash on the glass). The detail in it, as in all the others, was incredible. There were dozens of fine paintings, some of which featured Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI, and their family.

Upstairs the salons and boudoirs had elaborately painted ceilings, statues, antique furnishings, magnificent brocades on some walls and tapestries on others. Drapes and coverings on the four poster beds were lavish.

This truly is a case of a picture is worth a thousand words. It would be impossible to do justice to these treasures with words, but the photos will give you some idea.....

The flooring was interesting also - inlaid criss-crossed wooden flooring in many areas, as you can see in this photo. The Royal Chapel had a magnificent tiled floor.

The Hall of Mirrors -La Grande Galerie- was magnificent. It is 73 metres long and 357 mirrors decorate the 17 arches opposite the windows. The arches are edged with gold paint and the chandeliers glistened.

 It was intended to glorify the political, economic and artistic success of France.

Several notable events have taken place in it. When Marie Antoinette married the Dauphin, the future Louis XVI, in May 1770, a Masked Ball to celebrate their wedding was held there.

The Treaty of Versailles was signed there on 28 June 1919, which sealed the end of the 1st World War.

Another notable area was the Royal Chapel, opened in 1689, which had a tiled floor and arched pillars. The paintings on its ceiling were lovely. In French monarchy the king was said to be chosen by God and through his coronation became his "lieutenant" on earth. The paintings and sculptures in the chapel at Versailles evoke that idea in a series which starts at the nave and ends at the gallery where the king would have sat.

The Palace was embellished in the 18th century. New apartments were arranged during the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI. On 6 October 1789, the monarchy left Versailles after the first days of the French Revolution.

In 1837, King Louis-Philippe officially opened his Museum at the Palace, dedicated to "all the Glories of France".

The gardens were laid out from 1661 on and are criss-crossed by a network of rectangular pathways in a geometric pattern. Looking from the chateau the Royal Walk extends 335m long and is 40m wide.

It features a canal, and a meticulously groomed lawn flanked with 12 statues. To the sides of it are feature gardens and fountains.

We came away with our heads full of amazing images. Will be great to have the photos to relive our memorable visit to this remarkable place. We could have gone through it ten times to take everything in!