Boulogne and farewell to Lille

We spent a day driving up to the Opal Coast where we started our tour in Boulogne.  Apparently the city was 80% destroyed in 1944.  This shot is taking heading down into the lower part of the city, outside of the walled city. It is, in fact, a really large city, but as usual we spent our time in the old Centre Ville.  It was quite charming.

 This shot is of the Porte Neuve through which we walked to enter the old part of the city.  We were there at lunch time and stopped to have a bite to eat.  Seafood is the order of the day.  Our hosts at the gite had recommended that we eat in one of the small villages outside of the city, further up the coast.  I had forgotten this advice until we were traveling up the coast a bit later and I rather wish we had waited.  Less tourist-y somehow.  More authentic.  But we did all right, nonetheless.

This is the Porte Gayole (I think that's spelled correctly) that we passed by as we were driving out of town.  It is another entrance into the walled part of the city.

 We left Boulogne and drove north east up the coast line.  This is the charming town of Wimereux.  It was thought of as the Nice of the north and from 1880 to l939 it was a popular holiday resort for the well-to-do.  Still lovely today.

This is Fort Vauban, situated on the shore in Wimereux.  It is one of a number of forts built by Henry VIII to protect his land holdings in France.

 And this is one of numerous bunkers we saw that dot the coastline, also built to guard land holdings.  Silent witnesses that nonetheless speak so loudly even now of past wars.   We saw white crosses, row on row.  And fields of poppies.  My father flew over these fields during the war.  It is hard for me to think of.

 This is part of le Site des deux Caps, Cap Gris Nez, which is 45 metres high, and Cap Blanc Nez.  This area is a listed regional park.  The lighthouse at Cap Gris Nez (Crossma) watches over one of the most densely frequented seaway in the world.

 This structure (in one of the thousands of roundabouts in France) was built as a homage to the builders of the tunnel which  I believe goes from Folkstone in England to Calais.  All under the English Channel.  Oh my!

 And just one quick photo to show you that it wasn't ALL beautiful.  Just one photo.  That you don't even need to look at if you don't want to!!!

One final picture of the lovely garden that we stayed at near Lille.  This is a shot out of our bedroom window.  Such a lovely garden.....It was non-stop beautiful!!!
So, the trip was nearly over.  I am in fact posting these last posts from home.  It is Thursday now and we got home late late on Tuesday evening.
I will show you one more post of our travels to Amsterdam where we spent three nights before coming home.
Back soon.....