A weekend at the Opal Coast in France
A few weekends ago Emilie and I got to spend some quality time together in the Côte d'Opale (Opal Coast) in the upper North-west corner of France and discover this pretty region of coastal France with our families in tow. A visit of only two days but absolutely jam-packed with activities!
Our visit started in Boulogne sur Mer, France's leading fishing town which was founded by the Romans and has played an important role in history due to its strategic location across the English channel. One of the main attractions of Boulogne su Mer is Nausicaá, the French National Sea Centre, beautifully located right on the shore. The children loved exploring the many aquariums and sea animals (including sea lions, penguins and -- the highlight -- no less than 12 species of sharks swimming in huge water tanks!).
A very interesting aspect of Boulogne sur Mer is that the Old Town is a completely separate and compact fortified area located on a hill in the middle of the 'modern' town. This Old Town is entirely surrounded by medieval city walls, only accessible through 4 tiny gates dating from the 13th century. Inside the sturdy walls, the medieval streets have been surprisingly well maintained. We discovered pretty old houses with gorgeous colours and detailing, small gardens full of flowers, and lovely little shopping streets and boutiques.
The basilica of the Nothre Dame was super special with it's double nave and amazing dome, and the medieval castle was impressive to discover as well. The gardens surrounding the city walls were so pretty with huge chestnut trees in full bloom. The kids loved this visit, and so did we. After a yummy dinner in town (seafood, of course!) we drove to our hotel located in a little village in the middle of greenery south of Boulogne sur Mer.
On Sunday we drove to Le Touquet, the chic seaside resort also known as 'Paris Plage'. I've been wanting to go here for decades, so finally I got to see those pretty holiday houses from the Parisian jet-set. What we loved about Le Touquet is that it's super relaxed but also slightly upscale -- the streets are lined with beautiful flowers, there are plenty of pretty shops to discover, a lovely park, nice restaurants with super friendly staff, and as I mentioned, beautiful houses -- mansions even.
But the best thing about Le Touquet, was the amazing beach. We lucked out completely with the weather -- it was absolutely perfect! The kids were running over the beach, serving sand tarts to each other and getting wet entirely on purpose. The beaches are big and sandy, like in Belgium and the Netherlands, but the obligatory carrousel wasn't lacking, making it all quintessential French.
After a stroll through the village we ended our visit with a pony riding session in seriously the most beautiful manège ever. It felt like a film, with a race course in the back, pretty stable buildings and tiny airplanes flying over. A beautiful place!
We had such lovely days! We'll definitely be back -- we've already been scouting locations for our next stay.
xxx Esther