Braving the winds of Storm Caroline (called Storm Xanthos in France) yesterday afternoon, we headed into Dunkerque town centre to see the Christmas decorations, starting at the Forêt Enchantée.
Following the pathway through the forest of Christmas trees, we peered into each of the wooden chalets.
Each chalet presented a different scene, from schoolroom and woodland scene to carpenter's studio, each one with animated figures.
They were pretty and the festive music and smell of pine needles added some extra Christmas spirit, but we didn't think it was quite as good as previous years when they featured moving teddy bears.
There were still some nice surprises hidden around corners though.
After seeing Santa working through the Christmas mail with his band of merry elves, we came across the man in red himself.
The organisers announced that they were closing the forest as a safety measure because of the wind, but we just had time to see the rest of the display on our way out.
Choo choo ... from one train to another, as we headed into the town hall opposite to see a demonstration of model trains.
The town hall had had the Christmas decorators in too, but we were just as impressed with the big stained glass window, representing the history of Dunkirk and the local hero, privateer Jean Bart.
From the top, the Christmas tree looked even bigger. Meanwhile, Sophie was whispering sweet nothings in the polar bear's ear !
We headed down to the Christmas market in the main square but they were being forced to close as a safety measure too. We just had time to buy a chocolate pancake before heading home. I've no doubt the Madhouse grandparents and Auntie Em weren't looking quite so smiley a couple of hours later. Due to the wind and an earlier ferry accident in Calais, there were humungous delays on the Channel Tunnel on the way home. (Three hours at time of writing.) I hope they had a good day all the same.
Chocolate pancake sounds great
ReplyDeleteThe window looks great. Love a good warm chocolate 🥞 🍫
ReplyDeleteChocolate pancakes sound perfect on a cold winter day. What a palaver though to be stuck at the ferry crossing. Hope your parents and sister weren't too exhausted. Looks like you had a lot of fun, having a day out together, looking at all Christmas displays and decorations.
ReplyDeleteThey were on the tunnel which should only take 25 minutes so 3 hours (which ended up being 5 hours) is a very long time. It was a shame because the rest of the day was great fun.
DeleteIt's such a shame that everywhere was being closed due to the storms, I'm sure you had a great time exploring what you could before they had to hunker down. The kids look like they had a wonderful time exploring with their grandparents, it's great you all managed to get together for some festive fun. Chocolate pancakes sound like the best way to get set up for a long drive home!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your Christmassy Adventures on #CountryKids.
I love Christmas markets and I love crepes too. Looks like an enchanting adventure. Su #CountryKids
ReplyDeleteThis looks lovely - but what a shame there were so many problems on the day! #countrykids
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame that things were closed due to the storms, it has been crazy weather recently. I do like the sound of a chocolate pancake! #CountryKids
ReplyDeleteThe Market looks lovely, shame about the weather but love your festive photos x #CountryKids x
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