Issue No. 25

Stroll the cobbled streets, wander along the
harbour and the long esplanade to ogle the
mansion houses and discover the colourful
sailors district and you’ll know exactly what
lured the artist Degas and writers Victor
Hugo and Jules Verne to holiday here. Long
before them, Joan of Arc was held captive
here, the dungeon where she is said to have
been imprisoned is still there, a small stone
tower and you can’t help but think how the
poor girl must have felt cooped up in her
claustrophobic prison.
William the Conqueror was here too,
stopping off to collect soldiers before
making history and conquering England in
1066. Standing on the ramparts looking out
to sea in the medieval town I wondered if he
too had stood there, wondering, dreaming,
daring to hope that his ambitious plans to
quell his dastardly enemy across the water
might come true. All that thinking makes you
hungry and luckily this little town is teeming
with cafés, bistros and restaurants.
The stream train is an irresistible lure. It
takes you, on authentic wooden seats, round
the Bay of the Somme, classified as one of
the most beautiful bays in the world. We
spotted wild pigs, deer and all manner of
birds en route. You can take a boat ride out
on the bay where the largest colony of seals
in France live, join a walking or bike tour
(you can rent bikes in the town), or simply sit
back and enjoy the ambiance. Watching the
sun set over the bay, is one of those
unforgettably beautiful moments in life…