Back to Berck 2022

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I have often made a point of saying that Berck is one of the ugliest seaside resorts in the north of France.  The seafront is lined with horrible boring buildings from the 1950s ad 1960s which certainly replaced ruins from the war, and the huge sandy beach is too huge.  It takes forever to walk across it to get to the water, and if it is low tide, you can pretty much forget about the water.  It is much too far away.  In compensation, it is perhpas the best beach in France for sail carts and other such devices, especially since it is normally windy.

But of course its main claim to fame is the international kite festival, which returned this year after two years of cancellation due to you-know-what.  This was the 35th edition of what claims to be the biggest kite festival in the world (I have not scoured the internet to see if this is true or not, but I would tend to believe that it is.).

So I love Berck for that, but I love it even more for the seals.  At least the seals are always there even then the kites are not.

Upon arriving in town, I immediately walked to the seal zone, which is really quite a hike, past the hospitals for people dying of lung conditions.  Berck is also one of the biggest hospital towns of France and from what I can see each time, perhaps has the largest number of wheelchairs per capita of anywhere in France.  You have to be ready for this when you go to Berck and also be careful when you mention it to other people who might have family members who have sojourned there.  No invalid jokes!

Early in the day, there are not too many wanderers.

The rocky breakwaters were still high and dry.

I love the colour scheme of this photograph, and I am not ashamed to say so.

And so here are the lovely seals.

If we kept them as pets, we would certainly put them on a diet.

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The number of people on the jetty grows quickly. That's why I go early.





There were even nature tour groups.





It was time to return to the main beach area where the kites were beginning to go aloft.

[htmb]

Such a colorful spectacle! Looking forward to seeing more photos.

[whatagain]

Berck akso gained popularity since the movie Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis was shot there.

[kerouac2]

(Sorry, that was Bergues.)

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I thought this trash receptacle was excellent, because it also shows what is in the stomachs of real fish.





It is probably wise to queue up for the toilets an hour before one feels the need to do so.







The flags always display all of the participating countries. Very happy to see the flag of Ukraine.



Spider-Man was receiving CPR, but I don't know if they were able save him.

[kerouac2]

When I was little, I would have never imagined that big things like this could fly.







It is really a wonderful beach. I have been on it alone many times in the dead of winter.



There is a sign showing the distance to all of the other participating countries.



Getting the really big ones into the air is a task that requires a big team and a huge amount of work.



The public seems to be happy, even though it was cooler than we would have wanted. Hey, this is April, no surprise there!



As lunch time approached, people were willing to queue up for frites just as long as they did for the toilets.

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I am so happy that I lived to see the day when pigs have wings.





When the tide finally starts coming in here, each wavelet advances more than the previous one.



There have been glorious warm kite days certain years, but even when the weather is not ideal, families like to have picnics on the beach.







This Guatemalan behemoth was the guest of honour of the festival, but it did not manage to rise in the air today. A higher temperature is required.

[htmb]

Those kites are amazing, but it also looks like it was too cold for a beach day. ,

[kerouac2]

The squid kites are always the most graceful.

I had seen enough for this year. It is always lovely, and the crowds were bigger than ever. Unfortunately, the festival was probably confirmed too late for many of the participants. Because of covid, the date was confirmed too late, when these kites teams prepare themselves a year in advance. None of them make a living from kite festivals, so they have to make arrangements with their employers and other parties to be able to participate. In any case, there were fewer kites, fewer teams, fewer marketing stands, less of a spectacle than in previous years. Nobody is to blame, just the pandemic. Next year should be better, because the crowds were definitely present.

I hope there will be more stands for frites, because the crowds were definitely starving.

I tend to leave each time in early afternoon just as the masses are flowing in. The incoming traffic jam is absolutely incredible, even though I have never photographed it. Kilometres and kilometres of creeping cars -- and then they will have to walk 30 minutes to get to the coast.

But I hope that the people arriving still marvelled at the kites in the sky, as I always do.

[lugg]

What a fab report - I was smiling the whole way through , starting with your great images of the seals, the reminder that Covid life is diminishing , the kites which are just fantastic as is the video which really brings them to life. But I particularly loved the 4th image of all the people below the fish trash can ( which is sobering) especially Love the little child kicking the sand in that photo.

[htmb]

Lovely report and the video was marvelous. I’d love to visit sometime, though I’d hate to be caught up in the traffic jams. Besides the graceful kites, I’d really like to see the seals.

[kerouac2]

I was lucky with the video, because the day was very bright, and I couldn't see crap on my camera screen, so almost all of it was done with blind estimation of what I was hoping to film.

The traffic jam is never a problem for me, because I am going contra-flow to the crowds. The road is completely empty in my direction, but for some reason, lots of families seem to think that the afternoon is the best time to go. "We'll go after lunch." Being a Berck expert now, I know that all of the good parking spaces are gone by 9:30 a.m. and most people have to park a 30-minute walk away. Obviously, I made one lucky parson very very happy when I pulled out of my space.

[mossie]

A great show, very well done for the video

[mich64]

I agree with your comment regarding the colour scheme of the photo of the rocks, moss, sand, and water. A beautiful photo.

We would have been there bright and early the same as you and left for lunch somewhere else but what a wonderful morning it would have been watching the seals and the kites! I watched the video, well done! I too liked the squid the best.