Calais

Imagine standing on a beach and seeing another country across the water! That's Calais, a city in France that's super close to England. It sits right where the English Channel is the narrowest, like a tiny gap between two big puddles.

On a clear day, you can even see the famous White Cliffs of Dover in England! Calais is a busy port, which means lots of boats and ferries go back and forth, carrying people and cars between France and England all the time.

Calais is famous for how people travel between France and England. Lots of big ferries, like floating hotels, take people and their cars across the water. But the coolest way is the Channel Tunnel!

It's a super long train tunnel that goes under the sea, connecting Calais to a town in England called Folkestone. It's like a secret underground highway for trains, and it only opened in 1994. It’s so fast, you can get to England in about 35 minutes!

Calais has been a super important spot for a very, very long time, even before your grandparents were born! For hundreds of years, it was a big trading center, especially for wool. It was so important that for a while, it was even ruled by England!

They called it the 'brightest jewel in the English crown' because it was like a special doorway for goods. Later, during World War II, the city was sadly damaged a lot, but it was rebuilt to be strong again.

Even though Calais is known for travel, it's also famous for making beautiful lace. Some people in Calais still work in lace factories today! The city also has a cool old watch-tower called the Tour du Guet, which used to be a lighthouse to guide ships.

Now, a new lighthouse helps boats find their way. So many people visit Calais every year, over 10 million! That's more people than live in some big countries!