A chilly day in Berck by kerouac2
Apr 23, 2013 20:55:39 GMT
Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2013 20:55:39 GMT
Some of you may remember from past reports that I have a strange attraction to the incredibly ugly town of Berck-sur-Mer, destroyed by Anglo-American bombs during WW2 and rebuilt even worse than it was before. To compensate for its downside, it has a great beach, plenty of wind and an incredible kite festival every April.
I went there in 2010: The Discreet Charm pf Berck
And I returned in 2011: Berck Kite Festival (There was even a supplementary report devoted to low tide and the local seals.)
Last year, I did not go, and it was rainy and cold during the main weekend, so I did not regret missing it. This year, though, I knew it was going to be sunny, and also there was something that I had never seen that I wanted to see -- the evening fireworks. So I left Paris rather late -- after 4 p.m. -- and drove the 230 kilometers or so at the end of the day. I arrived a little after 6 p.m.
Leaving the autoroute, I was already amazed by the traffic in the other direction. The cars were bumper to bumper leaving Berck for several kilometers -- which is exactly what I had done at the end of the afternoon in previous years. There were far fewer cars trying to get to the city.
However, the city was still totally crammed with traffic, so I just jumped into the first parking space I found, about 5 blocks from the beach. Knowing how forgetful I can be, I photographed my parking place and the cross streets.
I went there in 2010: The Discreet Charm pf Berck
And I returned in 2011: Berck Kite Festival (There was even a supplementary report devoted to low tide and the local seals.)
Last year, I did not go, and it was rainy and cold during the main weekend, so I did not regret missing it. This year, though, I knew it was going to be sunny, and also there was something that I had never seen that I wanted to see -- the evening fireworks. So I left Paris rather late -- after 4 p.m. -- and drove the 230 kilometers or so at the end of the day. I arrived a little after 6 p.m.
Leaving the autoroute, I was already amazed by the traffic in the other direction. The cars were bumper to bumper leaving Berck for several kilometers -- which is exactly what I had done at the end of the afternoon in previous years. There were far fewer cars trying to get to the city.
However, the city was still totally crammed with traffic, so I just jumped into the first parking space I found, about 5 blocks from the beach. Knowing how forgetful I can be, I photographed my parking place and the cross streets.
As expected, most of the kites were already out of the sky.
Just a few of the old stalwarts were still in the air.
Just a few of the old stalwarts were still in the air.
