Belgium - Kortrijk

This afternoon I arrived in Kortrijk about three-quarters of an hour before Caelli. After checking in at our hostel, we wandered into the inner city. Why Belgium, you ask? Because there's a European Championships soccer match in Lille tonight, and hotel rooms there start at 300 euros!

Groeningepoort - one of the old city gates

Broel Towers

Stadthuis - Belgium's version of das Rathaus

We ended up at the Grote Markt, the Market Square. Heaps of people here on a Sunday evening, eating, playing, relaxing - what a vibrant community. The playground right in the middle is awesome.

The weather is so changeable. These two photos were taken less than five minutes apart. Depends on which direction you're facing, I suppose. The tower on the left is the Belfry, and on the right is the spire of Sint-Maartenskerk.

St-Maartenskerk

Above the main doors

Scattered around Kortrijk are some very large painted pot plants. This one amused me.

La Côte d'Albâtre - the Alabaster Coast

A cold, drizzly day. First stop was at the lighthouse at Le Hourdel at the mouth of the Somme, where we found a nature group with telescopes set up on the two local species of seals. The Grey Seals and Harbour Seals were so far away, there was no way someone unfamiliar with the animals could tell which was which, but it was still nice to see them. Note the delightful beaches....

The lighthouse

Seaside resort of Cayeux-sur-Mer, with stone beaches and bathing boxes

Everyone knows the White Cliffs of Dover, but France has white chalk cliffs, too - almost 10 times longer than those in England.  Our first sight of them was at Ault.

Looking north. Sand at last!

And looking south - wow!

Simply awesome!

Caelli's having fun...

We popped in to the tiny village of Le-Bois-de-Cise, where there are steps down onto the beach. A stone beach again, and then rock. Views of the cliffs were really good, though.

Once we got to Le Tréport and found the funicular, we headed further south as it was closed for maintenance for several hours. Trust us to get there in the middle of that time period!

Near the village of Mesnil-val-Plage

Back at the car park at the top of the funicular. The river Bresle cuts a path through the cliffs to the sea, with Le Tréport on the south bank and Mers-les-Bains on the north bank, looking at each other over the river. Both are popular seaside resorts.

Le Tréport from atop the cliffs. Note the lighthouse

Mers-les-Bains and the cliffs to the north

The funicular goes through the cliffs and takes you down to the town

It's free! There are 4 cars, and you call them up or down as you would an elevator

Nice view of the cliffs from Le Tréport

Walking along the waterfront. Stone beaches, again!

Here's the lighthouse from up close

Chalk cliffs and stone beaches

Mers-les-Bains

A cold and windy day, but hey! Blue skies!

France - Puchevillers

Looking on the map, the small town of Puchevillers was not far out of our way as we headed for Sailly-Flibeaucourt and the Chateau des Lys. Two Creswick diggers are buried in the British Cemetery in Puchevillers, and although we have visited them before, it was an extremely rushed visit as the hire car was due back pronto. Find the graves, quick photo and we were gone. Caelli and I decided to stop here and spend some time with Archibald Anderson and Francis Craymore Whitfield.

It's a large cemetery with over 2000 graves

A Anderson

Caelli is visible through the arch

F C Whitfield

We tried to get a photo with both graves in it. They're not close together. I'm standing behind F C Whitfield, and Caelli is with A Anderson. She's against the white pillar at the back left of the photo.

The cemetery was part of a hospital, which is why the gravestones are so close together.

We arrived at the Chateau des Lys and were met by Tim, our host. The Chateau was built in the 18th century and has two wings running parallel back from the the front facade. Tim and his family live in the left wing; the guest rooms are in the right wing on the first floor.

We spent a fair bit of time in this lovely, enclosed verandah

Down the back of the property there's a couple of ponds, complete with ducks, mostly ones I hadn't seen before. (I found out later that they'd had their wings clipped, but oh, well...)

Pochard

Widgeon

Teal

White-fronted Goose