Day 8 - Team Beck does a bit of rest and restoration in Le Touquet and Hardelot

in #travel7 years ago

What to do the day after the wedding of the century?

At two thirds strength, the youngest member having succumbed to a harsh 12-hour Polish-liqueur induced wedding flu along with most of the other young people who attended the Wedding of the Century the previous day, Team Beck decided it might be a good day to tour the local surroundings.

For insights into our adventures on Days 1 through 7, have a look at the posts listed at the end of this article.

Why not take a drive?

All and sundry had told us that Le Touquet was the equivalent to Nice on the Côte d’Opale, on this stretch of coastline considered the Côte d’Azur of northern France.

Well, not too far

By now we were pros at roundabouting, and Le Touquet is just over 18km, around half an hour on the D940, a coastal road with many roundabouts but no views of the sea, just a wide corridor rimmed with low, lush coastal vegetation.

Wending our way around the last roundabout into town

Driving into Le Touquet, the first impression was of a town where people go to live to be healthy. Expansive lawns, beautiful but not ostentatious gardens, wide and beautifully maintained roads, wide and beautifully maintained pedestrian/canine walkways and bicycle paths, and a lot of mature trees give a sense of genteel calm. There seemed to be many paths into the woods and it looked like a town where dogs take their humans for walks. There was plenty of canine activity, and they all looked happy to be promenading along the manicured avenues.

Windy!

We parked in a beach parking lot and were nearly knocked over by the wind when we got out of the car. For August, it was pretty chilly and our thoughts turned from cold beers to hot cappuccinos and extra jackets within seconds. However, we were rewarded with this expansive view which got our walking bug going.

Look right:


Check out that glass pyramid in the far distance. The Louvre!

Look left:


Look right again....

Here’s a bad full panorama I made by stitching those two photos together for you – even though it’s technically, er, flawed, it gives you an idea of how long the beach is and how many were out enjoying the wind, sun and surf.


The beach has many different ways of keeping families entertained, and this pyramid seemed to be quite a centrepiece. We didn't check it out, so I can't tell you what it is, but it's certainly a landmark along the beach. That's the building you can just see at the far right of the "look right" photo.


We walked past colourful changing cabins and play areas for under-10s, getting battered by the wind all the way. Eventually @kiligirl lost her patience with the wind and getting sand in her teeth, so @tim-beck mercifully agreed it was time to seek shelter from the elements. We headed away from the beach and into the town.

Walkabout

As we walked away from the beach into the relative protection of the beachside highrises and town-centre lowrises, we realised the town was crawling with British tourists. Some of the main streets were closed to vehicular traffic, and there was a festival atmosphere as tourists crammed the roads, popping in and out of pubs, chocolatiers and high end shops.

We walked around the old town for a while, drinking in the charming northern French architecture.


We checked out a couple of cool buildings, and...


Look at the sidewalk in front of that building. Le Touquet is full of details like that, which give it a "much-loved" feel.



...we found the market, which bustles and thrives on Saturdays.

This was a Thursday.



Don't look for any merchandise in that market. There's nothing there. Nada. Not a feesh. Eet was empty.

Well, what next?

Team Beck got serious about the goal of replenishing our fluids. After all, our cells had taken somewhat of a beating at the grand event yesterday, and even with our years of training we were in a somewhat weakened state (although not as weak as the twenty-somethings!). In a marathon such as the Beck Trek, it’s important to know when to conserve and when to expend energy.

Warmer

Therefore beer and wine, at a sheltered pub table, drenched in sunlight. Aaaah....



Oh, it's finished.


Welcome meal in Hardelot, to finish off a perfect day

We drove back along the same route we had come from Hardelot, marvelling as we so often do at how different the same route looks going the other way.


We reunited with the third member of our tribe (now nearly recovered) back at the hotel, Googled “restaurants in Hardelot”, found the delightful Côte Rôtie near the beach in Hardelot, and enjoyed a peaceful evening of great food, wonderful wine and delightful atmosphere at this special place recently started by a young French couple.

Here Emma captured @kiligirl and @tim-beck through the restaurant window.


A funky place, complete with adorable bulldog pup (which unfortunately you can't see, but he entertained us for the whole evening).


And isn't that a happy Beck mit Affligem?


What would a travel post be without pictures of food?

Frogs' legs! We were in France. I had to.


@kiligirl's seared tuna with sweet potato mousse was the bee's knees at restoring any flagging strength, and @tim-beck enjoyed his, ummm, his...oh dear, I can't remember now.


Mmmmm...sea bass for Emma.


Winding down for the evening


The intrepid and knowledgeable waitress (that speeding person behind Emma's head) gamely engaged in English conversation with the Team Beck contingent of origine sud-africaine, so at least they were reasonably confident this time that they knew what they were eating.

Wait - there's even a South African connection

In conversation with the husband, we quickly discovered that – of course – he had a South African connection, through sea-kayaking. Scratch a traveller, and you’ll probably find they have a South African link somewhere in their not too distant past.


Images by @kiligirl, @tim-beck and Emma Beck.

Other posts to date on our trip:
https://steemit.com/family/@kiligirl/day-7-team-beck-attends-the-wedding-of-the-century
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-6-part-3-of-the-beck-trek-to-france-bruges-and-amsterdam-superkiligirl-saves-the-mother-of-the-bride
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-6-part-2-team-beck-takes-a-reflective-turn-in-delville-wood-somme-region-of-france
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-6-the-beck-trek-hits-the-north-of-france-amiens
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-5-team-beck-moves-from-paris-to-pas-de-calais-in-the-north-of-france-and-nobody-dies
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-4-in-paris-for-team-beck-notre-dame-the-musee-d-orsay-and-le-marais
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-3-in-paris-for-team-beck-hop-on-hop-off-bus-tour
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-2-in-paris-for-team-beck-boat-cruise-down-the-seine
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/day-2-in-paris-for-team-beck-a-visit-to-the-louvre
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/two-weeks-ago-yesterday-we-were-wandering-around-the-centre-pompidou-in-paris
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/paris-day-1-part-2-of-several-posts-on-our-trip-to-paris-pas-de-calais-bruges-and-amsterdam
https://steemit.com/travel/@kiligirl/whirlwind-tour-of-paris-pas-de-calais-bruges-and-amsterdam

signature
Team South Africa banner designed by @bearone

Sort:  

Dear Kiligirl, what a nice day for you and Mr. Beck. He has a very happy face as he looks longingly at his beer! That is a weird shaped pyramid, along a beautiful coastline. Looks like Emma made a full recovery. She probably couldn't keep up with the 2 of you! Had to take a little break! Perhaps there was too much PDA!! Yikes. Ellie Mae 🐓🐓

Hi there Ellie Mae, he certainly did appreciate his beer that afternoon! Most of the young ones were out for the count that day since they danced until 5am 😂. And yes, Emma had been putting up with PDA since the beginning of the trip 😂😂

Sorry Emma missed out. It just looked like a lovely way for you and @timbeck to spend a romantic last day together. How often does that happen? Good for you! 🐓🐓

Thanks, Ellie Mae - we knew it would be cruel to force her after she'd had only a couple of hours of sleep, so we brought her some breakfast and toodled off together. Yes, it was romantic, but no, it wasn't our last day! We still had the next day in the region, then the trip to Amsterdam on Saturday and the day in Amsterdam on Sunday. Lots more to tell before the memory fades. Working on the post for Day 8 now. Have I mentioned I'm writing these so that we have a memory of our trip? Several times? 😜😜

I feel i have had a day out myself after reading that and seeing all the pics :) thankyou for sight of them , the seabass made me hungry lol

Glad it gave you a vicarious travel experience, @coindevil. I can attest to the total finishing of the seabass by she who ordered it, with lots of noises of appreciation. 😊😊

Now im even more hungry \o/

Maybe I shouldn't tell you I just had some really good prawns while watching Trump address the UNGA (on Sky News)...that would be cruel....😊😊

im thinking that as i enjoyed the trip vicariously i could enjoy the prawns with you also Did we enjoy them ?

We did, I'm afraid. A lot. Unlike Trump's speech, so at least there's still some balance in the world.

Wishing you some delicious plump prawns or perfectly cooked seabass soon. P.S.: The best fish I've ever had was caught wild in the north of KwaZulu Natal (the easternmost province of South Africa, on the Indian Ocean, in case you're not familiar with our geography), and grilled on simple coals right there on the beach. It doesn't have to be a lovely French restaurant to serve amazing food. Fresh, and cooked with love for food. 😊😊

I totally agree, simple fish freshly caught and simply cooked, whats not to love \o/

Nice travel post, somehow I could feel the wind blowing. Here's a free haiku for doing such a wonderful post

Open the windows
As we both feel the wind blows
As we travel slow

:)

Oooo, a haiku! Love it! Thank you so much 😊😊

You're very welcome. I really enjoyed that one. :D

...>curtsies< 😊😊

Hello kiligirl..enjoyed reading your post.loved the view of the coastal areas,towns,markets,wine...it seemed your family enjoyed a lot..

We did, @momi5. We enjoyed every day of our holiday, especially the freedom at being able to walk around with hundreds of other people - not something we're used to in South Africa. And we simply enjoyed France, as it's such a welcoming country to tourists. 😊😊

After the wedding of the century, it's very hard to find something to do, but you've found the perfect solution. I love the happiness of your faces. I hope your whole life is just as happy

Oh, @amedeo, you know just what to say. Thank you so much for multiplying our happiness. We have our moments, but generally we appreciate who and what we have. 😊😊

I try to find beautiful words for these wonderful posts. I really like how you think, that explains why you are so happy: D I really appreciate you

It's all about choices, @amedeo, and (I think) I see you choosing to be happy in each moment as well. I really appreciate you too! 😊😊

I'm so glad you appreciate me! We all have to be happy :)

Glad you guys could replenish your fluids...the wine-induced flu can be painful the next day!

Ah, so true, @sea-cottage! A South African problem if ever I've encountered one 😊😊

These are some incredible pictures and details! I loved your work! I hope you will continue to share more such posts in the days to come!

Thanks so much, @firepower - glad you're enjoying these posts! I'm doing this as much for us and our memories of a great trip as I am for Steemit. I know we'd never remember the trip as well if we didn't have this kind of background.

And yes, there's more to come...working on a post about Bruges and Dunkirk as we "speak"....

Explore the beauty of pakistan about its beauty culture and people @untoldpakistan

Do tell us through photos and stories on Steemit, @untoldpakistan! Look forward to your tales. 😊😊

Thankyou will definitely don't disappoint you

Lovely descriptive journal of your adventure @kiligirl what fun it is to travel and explore places and thanks for sharing, it takes us away from our desk for a minute or two.

Glad you enjoyed it, Joan. It was our day to chill. We went into high gear again the next day, starting of course at the crack of late morning 🤣🤣.

Very nice shot my friend. Keep up the good work!
Keep it up upvoted and Followed.

Thank you 😊😊

Coin Marketplace

STEEM 0.36
TRX 0.12
JST 0.040
BTC 70846.59
ETH 3567.69
USDT 1.00
SBD 4.79