calais et le diplomate

IN JUNE 2010 THE MELLING-SMITH CONSORTIUM allowed time in their transfer to Vissec in Le Gard, in pursuance of a summer holiday they felt they deserved, to disembark in Calais, in the days when they thought the cheap crossing was still worth the misery of the haul up to London and the M25, and before proceeding to their hotel at Amiens, to catch the trustee of the Calais lighthouse in attendance – and get up the thing even unto the lantern. We'd tried before but were always 'out of hours'.

Great views from the top, the only guided visit to a lighthouse we've ever had to suffer, and said guide soon piped down when he realised we knew more about his lighthouse than he did.

The rendition left is of course by Jean Benoît Héron himself.

The lighthouse entered service in 1848. It gives out four white flashes every 15 seconds and is 51 metres tall (167ft), an octagonal brick tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a two storey brick keeper's house. Somehow this historic lighthouse escaped major damage in both World Wars. In 1992 the exterior was restored by replacing the original and badly weathered outer layer of bricks. It is quite close to the centre of Calais, overlooking the harbour.  You can read more on The Lighthouse Directory, If you need greater detail.

For a number of years we habitually arrived in Calais after our hols and stayed overnight in one of those big hotels near the tunnel exit. We quite like Calais. In keeping with our no-breakfasts-in-hotels policy we eventually discovered Le Diplomate, a no frills corner-cafe just a street down from the phare. We took to the place. We were greeted as locals almost, although clearly not; folks shook hands with us on entering and departing, the coffee was quality and a nearby boulangerie provided very acceptable croissants. So for a year or two Le Diplomate became provider of our departure petit-dejeuner. We once witnessed a young tike snatching some ciggies from the tabac side of the business without paying. La Patronne was round her counter tout suite, and chased after the culprit whilst also managing to call the police. We believe the tear-away was apprehended. Le Diplomate has been done up since we last graced the place: this picture is as it is now, or when the snap was taken, from their website!

Le Diplomate, I am advised, means the trifle, a fact that I find somewhat hard to assimilate…

There are other feux of interest in Calais, including the ancient town centre tower, with a statue of General de Gaulle and his wife (who hailed from the town) in front of it – but the lighthouse featured above is the only true lighthouse, according to my typology you see if you bother with my opening blog page. The pier light gets some recognition too – my photograph (another, not the photo below) of that light is to be found on the French Lights App, don't y'know, so there. See the ancient tower below, lower left, now no longer sporting a lantern. Note: the interior of the phare proper has a lift (right, below) although we were not invited to use it to get up top (we'd have declined anyway…).