Gorgeous little
Montreuil-sur-mer, according to any sensible person’s expectations (one that
knows some French that is), should be by the sea, but is in fact a small town
inland from France’s north west coast.
The town was
famous for its cloth industry in the eleventh and twelfth centuries and its
ramparts date back to the ninth century. It has an interesting history peppered
with plundering raids by naughty Kings, the English King Henry VIII and Spanish
King Charles V, and then the plague turned up in 1596.
Charming
Montreuil-sur-mer is most famous though for having inspired one of France’s
great authors. Victor Hugo passed through in 1837 and used the town as his
setting for Les Miserables, which is performed outdoors each year in late July
in the town.
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| Chocolate Shop, Montreuil sur mer, france |
The town centres
around the eleventh century abbey of Saint Saulve and features a few
characterful shops including an amazing and truly distracting chocolaterie.
There is a bistro, with outdoor seating, from which you can take in the town
square and the magnificent abbey, which rather sadly, the last time I visited was
hosting a funeral.
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| The entrance to Saint Saulve Abbey, Montreuil sur mer, France |
It is worth a
drive or a walk around the town too as being a walled town it is high up so
offers occasional glimpses and views of the seemingly endless (and mostly flat)
plains of northern France.
Montreuil-sur-mer
is only an hour’s drive south from Calais and is the perfect escape from all
the day-tripping hordes if you fancy a more authentic French experience. It is
a very pretty village and definitely worth a visit.
What are your
favourite French villages?
