We weren’t exactly invited to the wedding, but it was nice to see one taking place in the very old cathedral of Notre Dame in the town of Saint-Omer.
This town does not seem too French for good reason. It is diverse in terms of ethnic, linguistic and immigrant communities such as Haut-Pont, a heavily West Flemish section. Southeast of the cathedral is a neighborhood of Turks, who tend to be Greek Orthodox and who arrived in France after World War I to escape religious persecution. Local residents have British, Dutch, German, Austrian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak and Polish relatives, as a result of the region’s mining and glass manufacturing industries.
But it still has a nice French cafê culture, and it was a gorgeous day to watch the crowds go by.
Before we headed to Saint-Omer, we took another stroll through Le Touquet. What a difference from Thursday evening to Saturday morning. The crowds were there in force today, and the market was packed with shoppers. But it was the first time we saw a car in France get a parking ticket – though we have seen some outrageous parking! We can only imagine what the next month will bring.
