France; Coast & Country with Leo & Isobel

 France, Coast & Country 

The sun was shining as we took our seats on the Rando-Rail for some fun on the pedal powered trains. Feeling energetic, we all set off in convoy for the 9-kilometre round trip. The first part of the trail was uphill and took us through the most amazing countryside. The views were stunning as we peddled our way through a canopy of trees lining the route. 

The best days are beach days! We were lucky enough to see some seals bobbing along just a short distance out to sea. What a fantastic experience this was, and we happily just sat and watched as the animals enjoyed their swim.

Walking around the beautiful village of Beussent we took in the views and soaked up the sun with an ice cream treat!

A visit to Chocolateries de Beussent was a must! We had a guided tour of the incredible factory and learnt that the factory created its own cocoa plantation on the banks of the Rio Napo in the rainforest of Ecuador. Our guide showed us the cocoa bean and explained the process from start to finish and how to make dark, milk and white chocolate pointing out and explaining the ingredients and machinery involved during each part of the process. We were thrilled to be able to sample each flavour, which we all agreed were delicious. After our tour we visited the gift shop and were amazed at the amount of beautifully decorated chocolates and sweets available. Of course, we couldn't resist buying some to take home with us.

It was all aboard the train in the genuine Belle Époque carriages which allowed us to travel back in time and enjoy the charm of Victorian travel. The journey took us along the coast (Baie de Somme) passing salt and freshwater marshes, fields, and gorgeous greenery of the Somme Bay. The ticket inspector was on board and managed to speak to us before we reached St Valery for our first stop. 

We admired the beautiful boats as we walked along the waterside boardwalk.

 A humbling trip to Etaples Military Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth War graves cemetery in France was a very moving experience. This is also the final resting place of more than 11,400 service personnel of the First & Second World War. Deep in thought we walked around looking at the headstones and couldn't help noticing how beautiful the grounds and headstones were kept. 

La Coupole History & Science Museum is one of the most impressive remains of the Second World War. This huge bunker, which was built 1943-44 and was intended to store and prepare Hitler’s secret weapon the V2 rocket which was to be launched on London. We made our way straight to the 3D planetarium where we put on an audio device so we could watch the film D-Day- Normandy 1944 with our special 3D glasses. We relaxed back in our comfy chairs looking up at the huge domed ceiling and watched from a different perspective how the landing on 6th June 1944 changed the world. The film was magnificent with the 3D effects as it explores history, science military strategy and human values- a truly unique experience. We made our way over to the bunker and the first thing we noticed was how cold and damp it felt. The bunker itself is an immense concrete dome full of exhibits throughout the tunnels and under the dome told us the story of the German occupation of France during World War 2.