Painting and Drawing in France with Colin & Mags

Having crossed the Channel and arriving after a short journey from Calais, we settled in to our gite and prepared for dinner at a nice restaurant in Montreuil.

Waking to a glorious day and after a hearty breakfast we drove to Berck, a coastal town, had a walk along the front, lunched and then had our first ice cream of the week. We drove back to our lovely accommodation and refreshed before setting off to Le Touquet. We passed beautiful houses set amongst pine forestry before walking through the café-society streets. Dinner was at another nice restaurant in town and Robin was game for trying the mussels!

The following day we visited the chocolate factory in Beussent, saw how the chocolate was made and of course, purchased some!  Lunch was taken back at the gite and it was then time for our first painting session. Peter took us through the initial steps and we started our masterpieces. It was really a good experience being coached by a professional graphic designer and artist. Later in the day, we all sat in the garden and enjoyed a BBQ.

The next day we went to Boulogne and entered Nausicaa, the largest aquarium in Europe and had a great time looking at the fish, penguins and seals! Afterwards we headed for home to freshen up for another evening at a restaurant in Montreuil and had another nice meal and a late night.

After a very relaxed start, some went to the shops while others practised their drawing before another next afternoon of art with Peter. It all went very well and we ended up with some very original paintings that we could be proud of. Again, we had a BBQ in the evening and played pool and generally chatted and had fun.

Once again the weather was lovely and we headed for St Valery, a small town on the Somme, and wandered through the quaint streets and walked along the prom overlooking the estuary. A seal was spotted by our keen eyed enthusiasts. We then boarded the steam train to LeCrotoy and enjoyed the hour long journey through the countryside. It was time to freshen up for the birthday celebrations of Geoffrey, Michelle and Michael. They had all had birthdays whilst away and we even included Mags in it as her birthday was due the next day! We had a very special evening out in Boulogne and visited a restaurant in the old town, which has cobbled streets within a city wall. Presents of chocolates were gratefully received, which were purchased from the chocolate factory earlier in the week. It was a nice evening and it was late by the time we arrived home.

Our last day was here. We packed and then went off to Montreuil for the market. It was very colourful. There was much to choose from and last minute gifts were bought by some. Driving the short distance to Calais, we boarded the ship and headed directly for the “Brasserie” for our final meal in comfort with waitress service. It rounded off an absolutely superb holiday!