Monday 26th June 2023
Smartly dressed and well behaved, we floated impeccably through customs and immigration at Dover and were able to embark on an earlier ferry - The Spirit of France - which took us across moderate seas to Calais in good time.
We visited the Canadian Cemetery where the children sketched the gravestones of the young men from around the world who had given their lives to serve their countries.
Our three-course dinner started with a cheese flan before moving on to spaghetti bolognese with a stuffed tomato vegetarian option. The children were encouraged to have a try. (Vicki, our fabulous driver, showed us a picture of what they were served up on the trip she was on last week. It was literally frogs' legs and snails!) The dessert was homemade chocolate eclairs with a chocolate filling.
After an action-packed first day, we arrived back at the hostel from the beach as dusk settled. Tired but very happy.
Tuesday 27th June 2023
We enjoyed our first Auberge breakfast this morning. There was a choice of: cereal, fruit salad, french bread or sliced bread with jam or cream cheese, hot chocolate and fruit juices. After completing their diaries for yesterday, the children boarded the coach to go to the market at Le Portel where they practised their French shopping skills ready for the big market in Boulogne tomorrow. Many pieces of fine jewellery were purchased.
We had a picnic lunch with a clifftop view of the beach. The huge sandwiches were made for us by the hostel. After a quick toilet break at the hypermarket, we headed for the chocolaterie at Beussent. Monsieur took us through the chocolate-making process from bean to beurre, all the while challenging our French knowledge and making it fun. Children bought luxurious presents (sometimes for themselves) in the mouth-watering shop.
On the way back we finished Finding Nemo. Spoiler alert: he had been to the dentist.
The children had a rare moment of down time before changing for dinner. Tonight we had a cheese tart followed by battered fish (or omelette) with couscous and ratatouille. This feast was topped off with a French-style apple tart. We took some pictures of our impressive outfits in the sunshine before Vicki drove us to Boulogne beach for football, volleyball, sandcastling and the staff boules grudge match.
Wednesday 28th June 2023
Our first destination today, after a nourishing breakfast, was the fish market on the banks of the Liane estuary in Boulogne. In groups, we perused the fragrant stalls looking for the prices of a list of seafood including rays, mussels and lobsters. The last of those jumped up at Mrs O'Connor's! The stallholders, including English-speaking Jeremi and the crew of L'Ophelea (which was moored alongside), could not have been more friendly. It was an eye-opening (and nostril-teasing) experience even for those who thought they would not enjoy it.
After that, we cut in through town and walked along the pedestrianised Rue Victor Hugo to the market in the cobbled square dominated by St Nicolas church. Skills honed in Le Portel yesterday were put to the test in this larger and more vibrant arena. The children used their initiative to find answers to some challenging questions. It was great to see them doing detective work and asking stallholders and shoppers for help in French. They then had time to go off in their small groups to buy what took their fancy (with some clear guidelines!).
We ate our sandwiches on the grass at the foot of the walls of the fortified old town of Boulogne. The park was dedicated to a famous local Egyptologist and contained small pyramids, an obelisk with hieroglyphics and a recreated Nile boat. Fully fuelled up, we got back in the coach and headed for the goat farm.
Madame greeted us at the gate and we were soon making pain au chocolat in the shape of goats' heads which she cooked for us in her wood-fired bread oven while we went to meet the animals. In two groups, we got to see a baby guinea pig which was so newly-born even the owner was surprised to find it. We then held some of the 47 'baby' goats that they keep for the milk to make cheese, and fed the mother goats and the old billy goat - Siroco. Those who wanted to, had the thrill of milking some of the goats before returning to the oak barn to try three of the cheeses of different ages washed down with homemade apple juice.
Ratatouille (the film version) saw us back to the hostel where we had a final dress-up dinner. This was the best yet: pizza slices followed by roast chicken and chips (with a vegetarian option) and 'cornetto' ice creams to finish.
Our first destination today, after a nourishing breakfast, was the fish market on the banks of the Liane estuary in Boulogne. In groups, we perused the fragrant stalls looking for the prices of a list of seafood including rays, mussels and lobsters. The last of those jumped up at Mrs O'Connor's! The stallholders, including English-speaking Jeremi and the crew of L'Ophelea (which was moored alongside), could not have been more friendly. It was an eye-opening (and nostril-teasing) experience even for those who thought they would not enjoy it.
After that, we cut in through town and walked along the pedestrianised Rue Victor Hugo to the market in the cobbled square dominated by St Nicolas church. Skills honed in Le Portel yesterday were put to the test in this larger and more vibrant arena. The children used their initiative to find answers to some challenging questions. It was great to see them doing detective work and asking stallholders and shoppers for help in French. They then had time to go off in their small groups to buy what took their fancy (with some clear guidelines!).
We ate our sandwiches on the grass at the foot of the walls of the fortified old town of Boulogne. The park was dedicated to a famous local Egyptologist and contained small pyramids, an obelisk with hieroglyphics and a recreated Nile boat. Fully fuelled up, we got back in the coach and headed for the goat farm.
Madame greeted us at the gate and we were soon making pain au chocolat in the shape of goats' heads which she cooked for us in her wood-fired bread oven while we went to meet the animals. In two groups, we got to see a baby guinea pig which was so newly-born even the owner was surprised to find it. We then held some of the 47 'baby' goats that they keep for the milk to make cheese, and fed the mother goats and the old billy goat - Siroco. Those who wanted to, had the thrill of milking some of the goats before returning to the oak barn to try three of the cheeses of different ages washed down with homemade apple juice.
Ratatouille (the film version) saw us back to the hostel where we had a final dress-up dinner. This was the best yet: pizza slices followed by roast chicken and chips (with a vegetarian option) and 'cornetto' ice creams to finish.
On the beach, a greyish day gave way to another beautiful sunset before Vicki brought us home. More pictures to follow...
Thursday 29th June 2023
This morning the children were woken up by water pistols at dawn enhanced by a rendition of a song about the verb avior. This was very helpful in getting the children up quickly for petit dejeuner. Strangely, the children didn't appreciate the singing or the the preparation for swimming.
This morning the children were woken up by water pistols at dawn enhanced by a rendition of a song about the verb avior. This was very helpful in getting the children up quickly for petit dejeuner. Strangely, the children didn't appreciate the singing or the the preparation for swimming.
In the morning we went to Le Portel so the children could use their language skills to go to a cafe and order a drink and a patisserie to buy a cake. They did this in groups of four, supporting each other, with minimal input from teachers. They clearly relished this experience, though the fancier cakes were quite a challenge to eat. Full marks to the group that realised it was more economical to purchase a large, delicious cake to share rather than four individual ones. The only rain of our trip began to fall as we headed to our next destination on this busy day. Luckily we were going to the swimming pool so it did not matter!
The pool provided a variety of entertainment with a diving board, lazy river and water slides. The children were scarily enthusiastic when trying to avoid teachers on the way around the not so lazy river!!!!!
After lunch, our travels took us to the Boulangerie D'Escoeuilles, where master baker Bruno (and part time DJ) showed us how bread was made the traditional way in a wood-fired oven. He informed us that customers would come from as far as 80km to buy their artisanal products.
He explained in French (with his wonderful accent and mime) and Madame Singleton made some quite technical details clear: like how one of the five ingredients of bread - water - evaporates during the 30 minutes of cooking at 250 degrees. This means the 600g of uncooked dough becomes a 500g loaf. All the children had a turn at rolling up the dough and placing it in a wicker basket where it could rise before being baked. In order to avoid losing too much heat from the ashes of the fire, he loads 150 loaves in 5 minutes using a very long-handled wooden 'pizza' scoop. Bruno asked us to guess when he started work. No one correctly chose midnight (though he does admit to having a siesta)!
We returned to the hostel and enjoyed dinner in our bowling outfits. At the alley, we split into four lanes and had a great time knocking down pins or rolling in the gutters with every imaginable style of delivery on show. The children all celebrated each other's successes and cheered the winners; the loudest roar being for Vicki our driver who scored the most. May it be noted that the winning bowling team was lead by Madame Singleton.
Back at the hostel, we wearily packed to return home with some wonderful memories, as well as dirty washing.
