{"id":42364,"date":"2021-10-26T08:00:29","date_gmt":"2021-10-26T06:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/?p=42364"},"modified":"2022-04-15T17:54:06","modified_gmt":"2022-04-15T15:54:06","slug":"opale-natural-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/opale-natural-park\/","title":{"rendered":"A walk through History and Nature along the Coast of the Opale Natural Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

Between the Manica Channel and the North Sea lies the Opale Regional Natural Park, the so-called Opal Coast. A bucolic landscape to discover, nearby the city of Calais!<\/h2>\n
\"The
The Opale Natural Park. Photos by Irene Paolinelli<\/div><\/div>\n

This protected area offers a great diversity of landscapes<\/strong>, shaped over the centuries by its inhabitants. The Opale coast features dunes<\/strong> and sandy bays, including the two spectacular cliffs Cap Blanc-Nez<\/strong> and Cap Gris-Nez<\/strong>. Inland, in the Boulonnais<\/strong> region, lies the rural heart of the park with the Artois<\/strong> hills and magical villages<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The area to the northwest<\/strong> of the park presents the Audomarois<\/strong> marsh, the last cultivated marshland<\/strong> in France. The Opale Natural Park<\/strong> also has a beautiful cultural heritage<\/strong> represented by white chalk houses and rural torches houses. Numerous marked trails<\/strong> cross the park, allowing hikers<\/strong> to discover a well-preserved environment.<\/p>\n

Take a walk along the beautiful beaches of Calais and the Opale Coast<\/h2>\n
\"Walking
Walking along the Opale Coast. Photo by Irene Paolinelli<\/div><\/div>\n

The beautiful beaches of Calais and the Opale Coast offer wild landscapes<\/strong> and beautiful views<\/strong> of the\u00a0Manica Channel<\/strong>. They extend over 120 km<\/strong>.\u00a0 They are a great place to go for walks. It is also ideal for numerous sporting<\/strong> and leisure activities<\/strong>. For example sailing<\/strong>, windsurfing<\/strong>, canoeing<\/strong>, kayaking<\/strong>, kite surfing<\/strong>, jet-skiing<\/strong>, horse riding<\/strong>…<\/p>\n

\"Sport.
Sport. The Opale Coast. Photo by Irene Paolinelli<\/div><\/div>\n

We recommend Cap Blanc-Nez<\/strong> which overlooks the North Sea<\/strong>. From there, you will be able to catch a glimpse of the white<\/strong> cliffs of Dover<\/strong> from the English coast<\/strong>\u00a0in favourable weather conditions. They are about forty kilometres<\/strong> from Cap Blanc-Nez<\/strong>. Continue on foot to Cap Gris-Nez<\/strong> via the village of Wissant<\/strong>. Go along the coast of white cliffs over 100 metres high<\/strong> that drop down to sandy beaches<\/strong>. Along the beaches, from Cap Blanc-Nez<\/strong> to Cap Gris-Nez<\/strong>, you can see a series of impressive German bunkers<\/strong>. They were created during the occupation of France<\/strong> to besiege the UK<\/strong> during World War II<\/strong>. Another interesting excursion is to start at Cap Gris-Nez. You can walk along the cliffs to Audresselles<\/strong> in the direction of Boulogne sur mer<\/strong>. You can also stop by Ambleteuse<\/strong> and Wimereux<\/strong>. In Audresselles you will have the chance to visit the local flea market<\/strong> on Sundays.<\/p>\n

\"Bunker
Bunker and Flemarket. Photos by Irene Paolinelli<\/div><\/div>\n

A stopover in the historical and artistic wonders of Calais<\/h2>\n
\"Calais'
Calais’ Monuments. Photos by Irene Paolinelli\u00a0<\/div><\/div>\n

Calais<\/strong>, located in the north of France<\/strong>, is one of the few cities in the world that lies in the middle of three capital cities<\/strong>: London<\/strong>, Paris<\/strong> and Brussels<\/strong>. It overlooks the Strait of Dover<\/strong>. It is at the narrowest point of the English Channel<\/strong>, and it is the closest city to England. The symbol of the city is ‘Le Six Bourgeois<\/strong>‘, created by Rodin<\/strong> in 1895<\/strong>. Calais is a city known for its World War II history and is home to the World War II Museum<\/strong>, which is housed in a former German Nazi bunker. It offers interesting insights into the events surrounding the conflict. Do not miss the Museum of Fine Arts<\/strong> which houses works of art by Rodin and 20th<\/sup>-century masterpieces by Dubuffet<\/strong> and Pablo Picasso<\/strong>. The Calais Lighthouse<\/strong> and Town Hall<\/strong> are also worth a visit.<\/p>\n

Take a break at one of the local “friteries” by the sea<\/h2>\n
\"Friterie.
Friterie. Opale Coast. Photo by Irene Paolinelli<\/div><\/div>\n

The local cuisine<\/strong> of the Nord and Pas-de-Calais expresses two main influences: Flemish<\/strong> and Norman<\/strong>. In Calais and the various villages of the Opale Coast, it is typical to find numerous “Friterie<\/strong>“. There you can enjoy the best local fries<\/strong> with many sauces, super burgers<\/strong> with local meat<\/strong>. Try “l’americain with fricadelle<\/strong>” at one of the most famous friteries “La Friterie des Nations<\/strong><\/a>” on the beach in Calais. As dessert take a ‘glace \u00e0 l’italienne<\/strong> \u00e0 la vanille’ at one of the stalls along the seafront. If you prefer something a little more gourmet, try the fish and seafood at La Sir\u00e8ne<\/a> in Cap Gris-Nez, one of the world’s most end-of-the-world headlands on the Opale Coast.<\/p>\n

Other local delicacies you cannot miss are Mussels<\/strong> combined with various sauces, Flemish Carbonade<\/strong> (pieces of beef braised with onions and simmered in beer for preservation with brown sugar), chicory<\/strong>, cock with beer<\/strong> (flamb\u00e9ed with juniper and cooked in beer), faluche<\/strong> (round bread), flamiche<\/strong> (a pancake topped with melted butter), fricadelle<\/strong> (a sausage-like mixture of potato meat, onions, mustard and eggs), and rabbit with plums<\/strong>. In addition, there are various sweet specialities including cracker<\/strong>, shell<\/strong> and ‘tart au chuque<\/strong>‘. The region also offers numerous cheeses<\/strong> such as the heart of Arras<\/strong>. To end your journey in a good way, enjoy a crab salad sandwich<\/strong>\u00a0at sunset along the coast of Boulogne sur mer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Opale
Opale Coast Landscape. Photo by Irene Paolinelli<\/div><\/div>\n

Are you looking for a holiday dedicated to wilderness<\/strong> and history? <\/strong>Would you like to get involved in the\u00a0<\/strong>local community<\/strong>? Calais<\/strong> and the Opale Coast<\/strong> are the right destinations for you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Between the Manica Channel and the North Sea lies the Opale Regional Natural Park, the so-called Opal Coast. A bucolic landscape to discover, nearby the city of Calais! This protected area offers a great diversity of landscapes, shaped over the centuries by its inhabitants. The Opale coast features dunes and sandy bays, including the two […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":43644,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,6],"tags":[1569,220,326,241,2693,878,231],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA walk through history and nature along the coast of the Opale Natural Park<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Between the Channel and the North Sea lies the coast of the Opale Natural Park. 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Per motivi di studio ho vissuto a Valladolid, in Spagna, e a Lisbona, in Portogallo. Un recente viaggio in Brasile mi ha illuminato sulla sostenibilit\u00e0 sociale e ambientale di cui la nostra societ\u00e0 ha bisogno. Fin da bambina sono stata spinta dalla scoperta di nuove culture e dalla padronanza di diverse lingue straniere. Sono appassionata di turismo sostenibile, marketing e progetti di impatto sociale. \"Chi vive deve essere preparato ai cambiamenti\" (Goethe, Viaggio in Italia).","url":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/author\/irenepaolinelli\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42364"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42364"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45540,"href":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42364\/revisions\/45540"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}