<h1 class="ChapterName">The North </h1> <p>Every day, thousands of tourists pass through the channel ports of the Côte d’Opale on their way to Britain, yet few manage more than a quick glimpse of the surrounding regions, leaving the northern regions of Flanders, Pas-de-Calais, and Picardy undiscovered. When you’re fleeing the ferry ports, don’t miss the area’s hidden gems: the windmills and gabled homes of the once-Flemish Flanders possess gingerbread charm. Lille (below), a large and lively metropolis, has a strong Flemish flavor and a world-class art collection. </p> <p> Pas-de-Calais’s chalk cliffs loom along the Brit-accented coast; the village of Montreuil-sur-Mer seems to belong to a fairy tale, while the busy channel port of Calais is a setting of brash reality. Farther inland, sheep graze near collapsed war bunkers on still-active minefields in Arras . Even after five decades of peace, relics from the two World Wars haunt northern France. German-built observation towers still peer over dunes—testimonials to the resilience of this region—while scores of tombstones bear witness to the terrible tolls exacted at Arras, Cambrai, and the Somme. </p> <p> In Picardy, seas of wheat are sprinkled in spring and summer with red poppies. A once royal and now Parisian retreat, this area is home to lush forests, France’s largest Gothic cathedral, and dazzling châteaux. </p> <div class="
 Highlights
 "> <h4>Highlights Of Flanders, Pas-De-Calais, And Picardy</h4> <ul> <li><span class="Highlights-Run-in">Take A Dip</span> into culture at Lille’s amazing modern art museum, La Piscine —a public pool that has been transformed into a sleek exhibition space. </li> <li><span class="Highlights-Run-in">Soak Up</span> the bucolic charm of tiny Montreuil-sur-Mer , where Victor Hugo set much of <em>Les Misérables.</em> </li> <li><span class="Highlights-Run-in">Meander</span> through Amiens’s cobblestone Quartier St-Leu , where canals converge at flower-filled squares. </li> </ul> </div>

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