The big news this week was Sophie finally made it home - yay ! Work was busy as, on top of lessons, we had extra meetings for sorting out the next school year. But in a week, that's it, we're on holiday - woohoo !
Sunday 21st June - Time for another early(ish) morning trip to the beach, to beat the crowds, so we had a completely empty beach again. I'm not sure if this was natural or if the council have brought in lots of extra sand to create a terrace on the beach for some of the bars, but these steps now go nowhere. It looks quite freaky, like they are leading down into the underworld !
Monday - While I was at work, Sophie was undertaking the trip of a lifetime just to get back home ! After a first train to London at 6.50am, then another train to the Eurostar station, she got the Eurostar all the way down to Paris, as she couldn't get off at Calais or even Lille. After a few hours hanging around in Paris, she got another train all the way back up to Dunkerque, finally arriving at 7pm. Tiring but worth it ! We headed back home had a lovely long chat, ate some food then it was off to bed, amongst lots of giggling from all three kids !
Tuesday - As this is traditionally the day I have lunch with a friend, the kids decided to come along and join us. Pierre was at school but the girls waited until he got home, jumped on a bus, then got him back in time for the afternoon lessons ! We went to a local restaurant that brews its own beers and has a big menu with (amongst other things) all sorts of flammekuechens. They are like a kind of pizza with a flatbread style base from the Alsace region on the French-German border and traditionally have a cream, onion and bacon topping. We all opted for different versions - this one was chicken Caesar salad and was very tasty.
Wednesday - I had to go to work for a meeting in the morning, then in the afternoon, we went out for a walk, showing Sophie some of the new things that have been built or closed since she was last here.
Thursday - A loooong day at work and it was so hot, it was horrible. Our classrooms all have a central unit that regulates temperature, so that it's warm in winter and cool in summer. However, with the new Coronavirus measures, we have to leave windows open for constant air circulation. If you have a window open, it stops the air temperature control from working so we were all baking hot. There was a big storm at the end of the afternoon but it still didn't clear the air.
Friday - No school today - woohoo ! I took Sophie with me when I went shopping and she stocked up on all her favourites. On the way home, she dragged me to the local baker's. Apparently, she has been dreaming about their strawberry tarts for months !
Saturday - I gave the kids complete free choice for the evening meal and they surprised me by opting for "Dad's salad". I'm not sure if it was more nostalgia and good memories or a real desire to eat salad - well, it was hot, so it could have been ! I got everything out and let them pick what they wanted. From top to bottom, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, marinated peppers, marinated cherry tomatoes, baby cucumbers, bacon, hard-boiled egg, guacamole and, underneath, lettuce. I've never seen them eat so many vegetables ! If I give them the choice, they usually turn them down !
Welcome home to Sophie! What a long trip she had.
ReplyDeleteThose steps into the sand do look odd. Good idea about going to the beach early.
That pizza looks so good and the strawberry tart! x
So glad to hear that Sophie is back with you. What a tiring trip she had, does the train not stop at Lille and Calais any longer? The empty beach looks fab, but eek at the steps to the underworld. We're reading Magnus Chase with Eddie at the moment (Norse gods in the modern world), and that's something that would be quite suitable for the portal to another world. The flammekeuchen looks so tasty, and so does Dad's salad. I can see why Sophie was dreaming about those strawberry tarts.
ReplyDeleteI think it's for coronavirus that they've cut the service back to the minimum. Someone said they'd stopped the Calais stop completely, even before then, but that sounds crazy. Sophie came back with a whole list of things she wanted to eat ! lol
DeleteLove Dad's salad, great choice for the hot weather. Lovely to have Sophie home, what an epic journey she made, the heating system at the school is pants, enjoy the holidays
ReplyDeleteThe holidays still seem far away but I am definitely so looking forward to them ! lol
DeleteGlad Sophie managed to get home, but what a trip - I assume the trains weren't stopping at as many places as usual. The salad looks very healthy - H doesn't tend to ask for salad either.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about the trains to be honest, as we never use them. They used to stop in Calais and Lille many years ago though.
DeleteYum, that salad looks really good. What a trek for Sophie, bet it's fab to have her home though. N's classroom is always boiling - no temperature control there, just blinds and an open door/windows.
ReplyDeleteSounds like our old classrooms !
DeleteGlad Sophie made it home safely, despite the epic journey. I never realised you are near Dunkirk, that is next on our list to visit
ReplyDeleteWe are really close - I work in Dunkirk itself. One great thing in Dunkirk is that the entire bus service is free so you can gad about all over the place with no worries :)
DeleteThat strawberry tart looks amazing, no wonder Sophie had been dreaming of it! I am ever so glad she is now finally back with you all... what a bloomin' journey though. Still, she is home and that's all that matters! As I type my comment, I expect you are now celebrating that fact the holidays have started! Hope you manage to kick back, relax and fully enjoy! Maybe another trip or two down those seriously freaky stairs onto the beach... what on earth is going on there? Did they really need to bring in so much extra sand? Keep us posted on what happens there! Hope you are all well and having a lovely week! Sim x
ReplyDeleteI seem to think the council approved extra terraces on the sand for the bars and restaurants along the promenade, so I guess that would make sense as it would bring them up level with the pavement. It does look weird though !
DeleteI think I might dream about those strawberry tarts too now, how good does that look! So pleased your daughter is home. I love her bee mask. I bought some plain black ones for my eldest but I might need to get some patterned ones for me. Oh and that pizza looks so tasty!
ReplyDeleteIt is lovely to have her home :)
DeleteMy kids would be horrified if I served them salad but how lovely that it inspires happy memories for you all. I got into potato and pasta salads last year but struggle with normal salad due to allergies. #project366
ReplyDeleteIt's very much a pick-and-choose meal so they only take what they want. Pierre had bacon, egg, guacamole and bread. I think he added a bag of crisps too ! lol
DeleteThat strawberry tart looks amazing, no wonder Sophie had been dreaming of it. I don't blame her. Glad she is back with you all. Hope you manage to relax and enjoy the holidays. Hope you are all well and having a lovely week x
ReplyDeleteShe's certainly catching up on all the things she hasn't been able to get hold of for the past few months ! It's funny, I never think about them as special as they're there all the time !
DeleteHow lovely to have Sophie home, it sounds like a mammoth journey!I also have a thing for strawberry tarts so can completely see the attraction.
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