9 September 2009
A Trip to Boulogne
from Dover
on
LD LINES
Part II of the feature.
Boulogne is easily overlooked. We all rush to Europe and dash south at blazing speed. We tie the kids into the back seat, put our long distance ear-muffs on, so we cant hear them whingeing, and power south at breakneck speed.The nearest we can get to the warm sun is usually the aim. But Hark! Slow down! Right on your doorstep is something of a delightful gem that should not be bypassed. And now with the arrival of the LD LINES fast ferry service, you and I can be there in an hour in hassle free comfort.
Okay, on first glance the town is blighted by some unfortunate concrete structures, no doubt hasty reparation to widespread war damage(repair at haste regret at leisure), but ignore that, look a little deeper and there are some real treasures. There are three real treasures in fact. One we featured in Part One of this story...Nausicaa..but what are the other two I hear you ask with half baked interest. Okay, the other two are..the Old Town and the vibrant outdoor cafe life.
I completely love the Old Town.In fact I cant wait to get back and spend some more time there. It is situated on top of the highest point of Boulogne and is walled by huge ramparts, if I can put it that way. These ramparts are great for strolling along at your leisure and for enjoying the spectacular views. They wall the Old Town in and keep it safe. The Old Town is all cobbled streets, old buildings of character, and terrific outdoor cafes everywhere. Yes everybody is dining out. They've all gone 'al fresco' mad. And here's the thing, they do not charge over the odds. In other words, they dont clobber the accidental tourist. Perhaps because there are so many of these fab cafes, the competition for the wayfaring customer keeps prices restrained.
The real star, the real piece de resistance of the Old Town, is the Cathedral of Notre Dame. This is a truly magnificent awesome church that you can see from many miles away. Heck ! its even visible from Dover on a clear day, because on a clear day, as we all know, you can see forever! There were religious structures on the site from the 7th century, so the location is steeped in religious tradition, but the current Cathedral was started in 1827. It was built to mark the revival of the French Catholic Church after the Revolution. The Dome is magnificent in true Italian style.
It is still very much a working church. We were not able to get pictures of the interior as while we were there a solemn funeral was taking place, so picture taking was not a possibility. One must respect the solemnity of the Church and its practices.
But just one last bit as Im running out of stamina here..the outdoor cafe lifestyle thrives all over Boulogne..its not an Old Town speciality, but is particularly buoyant in the center of the town itself, the squares are packed with outdoor diners.
Paul Boland.
The Pictures - All by BRIONY BOLAND save one: The top shot shows the aforementioned Dome of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Its just stunning. One feels good in the presence of these great Churches.The second picture down shows the Cathedral again from the busy streets of the Old Town. There is life! Picture above left shows the cobbled streets looking away from the Cathedral. On the right we see BB herself in one of those Citroen Gardens which I believe are all over France. Ive seen them in Le Touquet myself on another occasion, Old Citroen Cars are planted with flowers and a garden is built around them with sculpture pieces of exhaust pipes and engine parts everywhere. All very novel. On first glance I didnt like the concept but when you step into the garden your mood changes. Weird but good! Perhaps its the power of art speaking to your soul!
The picture on the left shows oul geezer PaulB trying to get into the shot!
Below left shows forumite PR person ColetteB about to enjoy a humble pizza lunch, this time indoors, well it made a change. On the right we have an interior picture of a section of St Nicholas' Church, this one is in the centre of the town itself in a busy Market Sq..a market square which has real actual markets. PB
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