Arnaud and Mathilde in Dunkirk to Adrien and Vanille in Saint Omér

I said goodbye to  everyone and Matthew helped me bring Silver outside. Marie will  continue to Belgium today. She is worried about the bad weather. Matthew is taking the ferry to England from  Dunkirk.

Marie

Matthew

Mathilde is leaving to get her hair done.

Thank you Arnaud and Mathilde for an interesting visit.

Old stone work

Beside the crops and the canal

A sailor

This grain has been cut.

A lot of the old places are fortified.

I arrived in Saint Omér and Adrien let me in to through the apartment to a separate little apartment that they are having fixed up. I settled in but poor Silver had to stay outside and got soaked because it rained all night. I went for a  walk to the grocery store and couldn't figure out how to get the baked goods that were behind the glass.  I tried lifting and pulling and sliding the spoon between  the small slot to no avail. I asked 2 gentlemen but they couldn't figure it out either. Finally a couple came along and I asked the woman..  She showed me that you put the goodie on the spoon  and push it sideways out the sides. Did I ever feel dumb!

Nice pillow because Adrien and Vanille use a tandem on their trips. 

Nice decor on the walls Big kitchen

Vanille offered me soup and Adrien made a delicious vegetable dish.

Thank you Vanille and Adrien for your hospitality. May God bless you.

Arnaud and Mathilde

Arnaud , a physiotherapist, greeted me and although he was in the middle of a weight training session he showed me to my room.

There were 2 other Warmshower guests- Marie from Belgium on a 3 day trip and Matthew from New Zealand  going from Spain to Scotland. We all helped cutting vegetables and fruit. Being the person I am I cut my finger a little.
 

Arnaud and Matthew in the kitchen

2 of Arnaud's uncles came with their Bouviers. This is the young one 

This is the older one but he kept chasing the other one.

The bolognaise made by Mathilde

The raviloi

Arnaud making ravioli

Everybody visiting .

Everyone talking.

Mathilde, a primary teacher,  stirring the sauce 

We all enjoyed a delicious meal later in the evening.

Dunkirk waterfront and Arnaud and Mathilde

 After wandering around my host's area for about an hour , I decided to have a look at Google Map to see where the water was. It was a fairly direct route from my location. I am so happy that I went .. It was beautiful! A gorgeous huge sandy beach, a cement wide area for walkers and bicyclists. I went up and down the whole waterfront.

French spelling of Dunkirk

The fronts of the buildings

This man serenaded  me

I met the couple from the bus stop again.

I had an ice cream.

These man playing chess toasted me.

The dunes

I enjoyed an ice cream cone.

From Griet and Pieter to Dunkirl

  

 

Willem Vermandere

In the afternoon when Griet went swimming , Pieter took me to a local church museum which is being used to exhibit the works of Willem Vermandere, a local painter, sculptor and musician.  
 

After the tour of the exhibit , we were priviledged to meet the 94 year old Willem .

Pieter and Willem

He played a tune on his base clarinet for me.

His paintings have a flowing style .

Some of his sculptures

Afterwards Pieter took me for refreshment at the local pub.

I met Yves who as a young man was a tobacco worker in Southern Ontario for a summer

Griet made a nice noodle meal for supper and had interesting conversation about our beliefs about life. Thank you Griet and Pieter for being my first Welcome to My Garden super hosts. May God bless you and your family.