Blogs from Amiens, Picardy, France, Europe

Wednesday 24th April This morning we boarded our coach for the trip to Amiens for Anzac Day. We first went to the town of Corbie to find some lunch. Before the French Revolution Corbie was a very important place, with a large monastery which had been there for centuries. It was a centre for writing, transcription, etc. Most of the monastery has been demolished, but a large church which was once part of the complex remains. After lunch we visited the Victoria School in Villers Bretonneux, which was rebuilt by Australian soldiers after it was destroyed, along with most of the village, in 1918. Funds were raised in Australian primary schools (particularly in Victoria), and even materials were sent over. The school hall is lined with Victorian timber. The attic of one wing of the school ... read more

Enfin... quand les gens dorment encore on peut y arriver !!!! Joyeuses Cloches à vous une fois de plus ! Pour ceux qui se posent des questions au sujet des hortillonages :: à quelques centaines de mètres de la cathédrale gothique, les hortillonnages d'Amiens sont un ensemble de jardins flottants sur un dédale de 65 km de canaux, au cœur de la cité amiénoise. Pour plus d'infos rendez-vous sur le site : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hortillonnages_d%27Amiens Nous y avons fait une promenade de presqu'une heure en barque, durant laquelle on peut observer en cette saison des tas de petits et grands canards... des cannes couvant et des tas d'autres petits plaisir... Le quartier de St Leu a attiré notre attention aussi, quartier devenu une petite Venise du Nord parsemée de cafés et terrasses mais aussi de jolies maisons... read more

Petit tour en Normandie… Un rendez-vous chez le toubib pour JJ tarde à se faire, alors pour que le temps passe plus vite, nous prenons le chemin des écoliers pour nous rendre jusqu’où ses forces nous le permettrons mais surtout jusqu’à la veille du prochain rendez-vous… Autant se distraire et se reposer quand nécessaire et passer son temps agréablement au lieu de se morfondre devant un agenda… C’est ainsi que samedi matin nous prenons la route direction la Normandie… Nous avions prévu une escapade en Bretagne mais le temps est trop court pour que chose se fasse…. Nous prenons alors une route qui m’amuse à cause des noms cocasses de certains villages… C’est ainsi que nous passons par : Wé, Mal Campée, Tournes, La Bouteille, Mon Plaisir et j’en passe… Nous arrivons dans l’après-midi dans les ... read more

Arrivederci Venice Already I miss the sounds of the gondoliers in the canal beneath our hotel window. In the morning we heard their easy banter as they prepared their gondolas for the day. Later in the day and in the evening, there was often the sound of a piano accordion playing and a tenor singing, “O Solo Mio” to rousing applause by the onlookers. There was always happy chatter and laughter from the constant flood of tourists being taken for their 40-minute ride around the canals. Our home for the past four nights has been the Hotel Lisbona, an old Venetian hotel with velvet wallpaper, tapestries and chandeliers. We were on the third floor and as these hotels don’t have lifts, it wasn’t easy getting the luggage, or ourselves up and down. This is definitely not ... read more

Amiens was a city Terry always wanted to visit again after reading his favourite book 'Birdsong'. There is only one campsite and it was not good, expensive with even more expensive WiFi, therefore, we reduced our stay from one week to 3 days. The weather also was no longer good, more like an English summer. First opportunity though we were off to the city centre. 'Birdsong' describes the beauty of the canals built by the Romans alongside the River Somme. The heroes of the book fall in love there whilst travelling in a punt. You are no longer allowed to wander around these canals by boat so we had to take a tour in an electric powered punt, however, this was fantastic. The canals are built within very fertile soil and locals compete with each other ... read more