July 1, 2003
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Que gardes - tu encore , vieux fort ?
What do you guard yet , old fort ?English version after the picture
Ce fort est situé au niveau de l ' estuaire de la rivière Slack dans un petit village appelé Ambleteuse non loin de ma ville natale entre Boulogne et Calais en face de l ' Angleterre ( Kent ) . Il a été construit par Vauban , un fameux ingénieur du roi français Louis XIV, le Roi Soleil , vers 1680 .
Depuis des siècles il y avait là un port bien connu , possession des comtes de Boulogne et aussi , pendant un temps , des Anglais ( Henri VIII par exemple ) .
Louis XIV améliora le port pour ses vaisseaux de guerre de 30 à 40 canons . Et le fort devait protéger contre qui ? les marins anglais …évidemment . Puis Napoléon agrandit le port pour y mettre une flotte de 320 bateaux ( 1803 ) . A ce moment là il avait dans la tête l ' idée d ' envahir ….l ' Angleterre !!! Quelle drôle d ' idée !
Le Fort vit toutes ces activités guerrières . De nos jours le port a complètement disparu rempli par le sable . Seul le fort reste .; Il est le témoin d ' une longue histoire . Combien de bateaux , de marins , de soldats , de cavaliers , travailleurs , ingénieurs , rois et empereur a - t il vu passer ? Il a résisté au sable , à la mer et au temps et aussi au bombardements de la 2ème guerre mondiale . ( le mur allemand de l ' Atlantique était là ) .
J ' aime ce fort , seul près du rivage mais entouré par la mer à marée haute . Il se tient fier mais paisible , chargé d ' histoire .
Que gardes - tu encore vieux Fort ? Le souvenir du passé .
Ambleteuse ' s fort © Photo taken by Michel Fauquet 2003
This fort is located at the estuary of the river Slack in a small village called Ambleteuse no far from my birthplace between Boulogne and Calais in France in front of England ( Kent ) . It has been built by Vauban a famous engineer of the French King Louis XIV , the Sun King . in about 1680
For centuries there was there a well known harbour owned by the comte of Boulogne and also during a time by the Englishes ( Henry VIII for instance ) .
Louis XIV improved the harbour for his war vessels having from 30 to 40 guns . And the fort had to protect against who ?…the English sailors , of course !!! Then Napoleon enlarged the port to put a fleet of 320 vessels ( 1805 ) . At this time it was in his mind to envade…. England !!! What a weird idea !
The fort saw all of these warrior activities . Nowadays the harbour has completely disappeared filled by the sand . Only the fort remains . . It is the witness of a long history . How many boats , sailors , soldiers , horse men , workers , enginers , kings and emperor did it see ? It has resisted to the sand , the sea , the age and also the war II bombing ( the German atlantic wall was there ) .
I like this fort alone near the shore but surrounded by the sea at the rising tide . It is standing proud but peaceful ,so loaded of history .
What do you guard yet old Fort ? The remembrance of the past .
© photo taken by Michel Fauquet 2003
Ma femme Janine regarde le vieux fort sachant que plus de 3 siècles la regardent !
My wife Janine looks at the old fort knowing more than 3 centuries look at her !
Comments (84)
Oh...that is so beautiful, Michel!
I love your pictures. They say so much! And also gives me knowledge of places that I could only dream to see. 
And....I cannot believe that I am the first to comment! That is miracle in itself, huh?
Hope you enjoy your day!
and {{{hugs}}}
J'adore ce fort!!! Ses ~rondeurs~......
-- Lise
Wow ... that is an awesome picture. To sit and think what must have been going on in that fort in it's day! Thank's for sharing your photo's Michel. I'd love to come visit one day.
DG
Reminds me of the story of 'The man in the Iron Mask'. OK I know that it is maybe a smaller building but you could almost imagine someone trying to get out of there. Tony Blair perhaps....LOL?
Peut-être est-ce la 'féminitude' de toutes ces rondeurs...
En passant, soit dit que je préfère les femmes plantureuses aux maigrichonnes... la chair aux os...
hey propz............
Michel, I will help you man it when Juls leads the next English invasion!
Love the photos and would love to explore that fort. Cheers, Neil
What Neil does not know is that I have been to that fort
On a roasting hot day I decided that we should walk from Wimblex to Ambleteuse , it was a long walk around twistie bends when I kept saying not far now 
. We went to the WW2 museam there as well
Very interesting history lesson, Dear Michel. It is nice to know that peace exists at this time. Wonderful pictures.
That's amazing! That thing is incredible. It makes me want to touch it.
WOW!!! Ca c'est un fort! Napoleon a grandis tout les chose except lui meme hun?
Kelly
Everything passes away but the stones.
We look back at the past and we feel so little.
Janine is quiet a star.
Bien à toi.
Carlo
Thanks so much for your sweet comment. I have continued to write, and I'm glad you like it. Wow, that old fort is really cool looking! I'd love to come and see it sometime.
Much love,
~Savannah~
Almost from a dream...
mystérieux et unique, très intéressant ^_^
wow really interesting mitchel! and the scenery is amazing, its beautiful!!!
J'aime beaucoup les photos! How beautiful, out there by the sea!
Bisous! ~ Trish
I love the beauty and history of this. Thanks.
The picture of the fort is wonderful as are all of the pictures that you post. I love you descriptions and explanations of them too. Thank you for showing me something new once again.
Ahhh... j'aime écouter les voix d'histoire...
mike
il semble très paisible dehors...
We drive along that road in 1973 can't say I remember seeing it but very nice to see a picture now. We did not stop everywhere but just places we picked out rest of the time probably whizzed by as I have said before we rather neglected France and Gernmany so many other fascinating places. Hope you and Janine are well as I looked at her back i thought Oh! its a picture of me I must have stopped there then I realiosed you had only just taken it I have a Jacket just like that one Love Marjie
In at 21 getting better,
What interesting info on the fort Michel
. Yes, you're right....how this old structure has seen the changes of time! I love old buildings with history, such as this and have always found them fascinating 
.
What a interesting blog to read! Thank you
Thank you for showing your photos and telling about the fort. It's very interesting.
Seeing it reminds me of my vacation last August and seeing Fort Sumter in South Carolina. It is surrounded by the sea also.
That is a beautiful picture; you really have a knack for finding the most beautiful things to look at. Sorry I took such a long leave of absence there for a while.
that is so cool. wonderful and scarey yet inviting.
what a great blog! Beautiful fort. It's amazing to think of all the things that have happened around there. And you get to be there! Hope to see more pictures of your adventures.
Merci encore, Michel, pour les photos!
Je suis toujours heureuse quand je trouve que vous avez ajouté des photos et commentaires
(et merci pour vos commentaires à mon Xanga! Je sais que je n'ai pas de choses interessantes à dire (pas comme vous!) et c'est très gentil de votre parte d'avoir le temps de voir les sites de vos admirateurs)
On ressent la puissance de ce fort au travers de tes photos. Merci Michel !
Extraordinaire Maréchal de Vauban ! Il était partout ... mon fils (19) me cite spontanément Belfort, Neuf-Brisach, et je me souviens avoir rencontré son nom à Soleure Projet de fortifications par Vauban ...
Ambleteuse ... les cartes Michelin ne quittent plus la proximité de mon ordinateur
Answer to BBofLight Toutes les villes de l ' ancienne frontière de la France au début du règne de Louis XIV ou fraichement conquises :Amiens , Arras , Lille etc....étaient fortifiées par Vauban ce qui incluait remparts en creux et angulaires et une citadelle .
All of the towns of the ancient bundary of France ( or newly attached ) at the beginning of the reign of Louis XIV :Amiens , Arras , Lille etc ....were fortified by Vauban . This included sunken angular fortifications and a citadel .
Vauban was a very busy architect, n'est pas? From Besançon to Ambleteuse and more! The world has not changed so much in many centuries. Still, some countries want to invade others, or are suspicious of their neighbors and wish to have weapons pointed at them. Not so friendly, but sadly it is sometimes necessary.
absolutely amazing...even your forts there have a sophistication to them! very beautiful!! thank you again, michel for your wonderful post!
I adore looking at the past history that still stands proud. This is in spite of all the mistakes people make when making the world more modern. Unfortunately they destroy rather than preserve. I had hoped to visit Versailles in a few weeks. We were saddened to see that the entrance to everything had the price of a ticket attached.
Cest tres triste
Wow. That is really interesting.
Beautiful pictures.
That is a very fine photograph and it is good to read of the shared cultural heritage of England and France. I look foward to seeing your lovely country again later in the year. Tom
Ce fort est assez p'tit mais neanmoins cool
A+
that's such a great picture! it reminds me of a smaller, isolated version du fort en corse. avez-vous visité à la corse?
beautiful picture!!! looks like a great place to visit! -dave
J'aime tes photos et tes mots.
What a wonderful place, so full of history. If only stones could speak what a story they would tell. I always wonder about the people who lived in these places and what sort of a life did they lead. It is hard for us to imagine what it must have been like.
Marie
J'adore les vieux batiments...
Merci pour partager ce fort - un jour j'espere le visiter.
In my job I often have to go to people's houses to look at their ponds. They have too many aquatic weeds and their fish die. So I take a look at what type of weeds are in the pond to see if they can use a fish called grass carp or white amur to control the aquatic weeds. The fish is restricted in Washington state so a person has to get a permit to get them and I have to make sure that the fish will eat the weeds that are in the pond. It's pretty cool.
The place that I described in my blog made me think of the places that you have talked about. It was so beautiful. The guy had travelled all over France too!
Interesting blog and gorgeous photos!! I'm definitely going to have to come to France to visit all these wonderful places you talk about in your blogs! =)
That old fort, so steeped in history, would have many wonderful and fearful stories to tell. From Michel we get only the WONDERFUL!
It is a romantic setting to be sure. Thanks for the little share....my goodness, Napoleon! Wow....
What an interesting and varied history this historic fort has observed though the many years. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Your friend, Carol
3 centuries of memories...if the walls could talk!
lovely, michel - i enjoy your travels and pictures!
That is really a fascinating structure!! I think of the stories that a building could tell also.
I haven't been able to sign on to Xanga in several days...but good to see that your blog works!!
Michel-j'aime ton blog. Votre ecriture est toujours profond. Et j'espere que vous me comprenez. Lol!
Approche-toi plus près encore Michel et tu entendras dans les murmures du vent les paroles semées par ce vieux fort
the souls of the men that fought to protect a fort are always evident to me when i visit one. no?
Amazingly beautiful!
Merci Michel tes compliments sont du miel sur le coeur
What an interesting picture and story. Thank you for sharing!
J'ai eu l'opportunite de visiter les forts de Kingston, Ontario Canada la fin semaine passe mais ils sont petits au fort Ambletreuse
What a beautiful bit of history you share with us, Michel.
Thank you for your kindness.
There were places in Spain where I could feel the centuries of history pressing down on my shoulders. Thank You for sharing your history with us.
indigo
Its very solid and fortressy-looking. Not at all romantic castle. Not what I expected reading down the page from your French (my French is crap, but I try
)
Thank you for the kind comment.
I really enjoy your entries and pictures.
Trois siècles! Le château regarde le pâté de sable (château de sable?) dans la première image.
What an interesting blog! How much of history that fort has seen!
I hope you and your family have a Happy and Safe fourth of July!
and {{{hugs}}}
She is still grand Michel because we look past the wrinkles into her heart!
Thank you for you Birthday wishes to America. France has been a friend and we will survive our troubles to be friends long into the future i hope. hugs fancy
Beautiful.. if only bricks and mortar could talk!!.. I feel an affinity here working in the garden amongst old trees - very old plantings of daffodills and bluebells etc.....wondering who planted them
Wouldn't it be nice to know?
We have 375 breeding cows, and 9 stud bulls - and up to three generations of their progeny fattening here at a time....we breed our own replacements - and sell beef cattle
No dairy cows here !!!
Hoping you are well - and have a great weekend
{k} Libby
I know you always write an English translation, I just like to try the French first
That's fantastic! I'd love to visit sometime.
Sometimes itz really nice to imagine....like if there was a movie made of the fort and everything that is has "ever seen"...
there was a movie like that for a violin that i once watched...quite intriguing i must admit!=)
how r u old friend of late? i hope all is well for you especially your health! Cheers
junjun
I love that photo! I took several like that on our trip - I try to find light houses, forts and castles. They seem to have a lot of character and history.
Thank you too, for asking how I am... I am wonderful. I know I havent been online much since getting here and when I have tried, Xanga has been not working. It has been busy for me, adjusting to a different coast in a different time zone but I am doing well. You are a wonderful friend for asking! Hugs and Love, Christie 
Wow, how fascinating! You have so much interesting history.
There is an old-ish TV movie called The Scarlet Pimpenel set in the time of the French Revolution which has an old castle like that in it...there is a sword fight in the castle. Anyway, in the movie they drive a horse and carriage over wet sand to get to the castle...that's why your blog reminds me of the movie. LOL
Have a great weekend Michel.
Have a wonderful holiday!
Thank you Chris . See you soon Michel
Thanks for sharing the history and wonders of this fort. It's beautiful.
fANTASTIC History! @-}-}---
I have missed your beautiful pictures and your wonderful narratives in my absence from Xanga. I hope your trip is a good one and I wish you safety on your journey.
Bonne vacance et prennez beaucoup de photos svp!
I'll bet there are some spirits wondering about the place. Thanks for sharing that story and the photos. I hope your vacation went well and I hope to see pictures from the mountains!
Take care!
rr
~janny
Oh, that's interesting.
Thanks!!
I hope you'll have a wonderful vacation!
Hugggs for you all!
I hope you are enjoying vacation; I look forward to new posts and pictures.
Tres magnifique
Thanks for a glimpse of this three-century old fort. Looking at back history we always find the ridiculousness of wars, such as you have pointed out how "weird" it was for Napoleon to want to invade English! But today wars continue and people will look back at today's wars and again find how "weird" they were.
Bon vacance et à bientôt!
I very much love the picture of the old fort. Even more I love your telling about it and its past remembrances. I can almost hear you telling us about it you tell it so well. I have missed you my friend and I sincerely apologize for not having been around. I truly hope you have a wonderful weeks vacation. Much love and many hugs ! ! ! ! ! ! Have a great day and a wonderful week ! ! ! ! ! ! !
thanks for sharing something so historical!
...very interesting post, Michel! The harbor reclaiming its own reminds me how earth will regenerate itself after we have destroyed ourselves by polluting and abuse of life's resources.
MuSe
...was it not Napolean who said, "Give me lots of blue ribbons and I will conquer the world?" Hugs,
So much history to ponder, since 1680. The picture with Janine is beautiful. It looks like an oil painting.
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