The Grand Tour in quotes Calais The first port of call for most Britons undertaking a Grand Tour would be Calais, or perhaps Le Havre or Ostend. They would typically be accompanied by a tutor, or even an small army of servants. This would be their first glimpse of the sights, sounds and smells of the Continent. Calais is a sort of enlarged King's Bench prison; the English fugitives live within the rules, and the French inhabitants make it a rule to oppress and distress them. Philip Thicknesse, A Year's Journey through France and Spain, 1789 Everyone is struck with the excessive ugliness (If I may apply the word to any human creatures) of the fish-women of Calais, and that no one can forget. Here are dull shops, quiet streets, a large Cathedral, and a large Place or square with Town-hall. Dorothy Wordsworth, Journal, July 11, 1820