April 14 – Exploring the White Cliffs and the Coastline

What a glorious, fun day.  It was supposed to rain today but, instead, we got glorious sunshine and it is almost got warm.  We are heading out of town today but a couple of photos of Le Tréport as we head out.

And more photos of the countryside.  Lots of rape fields today…

and a photo along the coast.

Our first destination is Cap Blanc-Nez (White Nose Cape), the closest point between England and France (only 21 miles).  And, since it was such a clear day, we could easily see the White Cliffs of Dover in England.

Views of the English Channel and the coastline.

A container ship in the distance.

From a distance we could see Cap Gris-Nez (The Grey Nose Cape).  

The obelisk on this promontory is the Dover Patrol Memorial.  There is a sister memorial on the English side.  They are in remembrance of the massive shuttle of ships that moved troops and supplies and wounded soldiers back and forth across the Channel during World War I.

It's hard to the white cliffs of Cap Blanc Nez when standing on top.  So, we found another parking lot at a nearby town and took a hike out to see them up close.  Another view of the Dover Patrol Memorial from down below.

The cliffs are pretty amazing when you stand at the base.  The cliffs are 440 feet high here. 

Then we found a place for lunch and took the longest roundabout drive through the countryside to enjoy rural France.  We found sand dunes,

Wind surfers,

Beaches,

and flowers everywhere. 

We also found another chateau to visit.  Chateau Hardelot.  This was a new chateau built in the mid-1800’s.  Pretty but not as dramatic as many of the older ones.   

The main rooms were open and were well furnished.

The Grand Staircase.

The Billiard Room.

The Salon.

The dining room had a cannon in one corner for some reason.

The library was two stories. 

There was even a smoking room.

A bedroom.

A lot of interesting items in the Curiosity Room.

Some lovely items. 

After touring the interior we headed out to spend a little time in the gardens.  They weren’t extensive but there were some good views of the castle from there. 

And the tulips were out. 

From here we headed back to Le Tréport.