Kyriad Hotel Amiens Nord

... sauce with ranch! haha I also had a small salad and a small desert (creme brulee) on the side. I nearly finished it all but it was a huge potato plus chicken wings and desert. I was ready for a nap after wards.

The main reason for our trip to Amiens was revealed after lunch. A park that takes up a large portion of the city was unmasked after we crossed over a bridge from the quai. We dropped into the park which was covered in fall colors. It was ...

... around tomorrow. I don’t like the idea of walking all around Paris with that on thank you!

So a day of mixed success. Eels losing, not good. Getting to Villers-Bretonneux very good. Spending lots of euros to get there. Double bad. Not ever thinking about that again, probably for the best. I still maintain that I will not ask my parents for money. This reality is getting closer, but if anyone can see Europe on the cheap, it is me…

More to come!

... looking down to view everything really drives home the losses of war. It was truly a great place to visit – to sketch, and to see.

The museum closed around 6, and we arrived back in Versailles at about 8:30 PM. It honestly felt like closer to midnight. It was a tiring trip, but definitely a great experience. A bunch of times, someone would ask, "Guess where we are? France!" There were a lot of moments like that – as ...

... glass, a labyrinth on the floor, and lots of inner chapels. It also felt a lot taller inside, because there are only three divisions and the first is so stretched. There were a ton of tourist groups here, and we had a lot of onlookers while sketching, which was pretty strange. We left the cathedral at about 2 (weddings were starting at 3, collective awwwwww from the girls in our group), and took a walking tour around the rest of the city. Amiens was greatly damaged ...

At 8:30 Ade Elliot dropped us back in Calais and after a few photos we set off.

After about a mile we hit the first hill, Dave Starkey clocked 40.4 mph with brakes on! We pulled him out the hedge in no time at all, but he left a big hole.

We moved on at a good pace and as we went down into Bolougne Sur Mer Dave Shayler lost the spare pump off his bike, an old French lady was holding her head any crying so ...

We had a big day yesterday. We trained to Amiens from Paris (90 mins trip) and then another train to Villers-bretonneux. We then had a casual walk of 60 minutes along a country road to the war memorial. Met some other young aussies...very interesting but a tough walk.

Then back to ...

... partners for a common cause. As the ceremony finished, we made our way over to the tents. Now normally, the Salvation Army supply tea and ANZAC biscuits, but as this is France, we were given baby croissants and coffee !!! And Finally They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them. Lest we forget

... sweater that I bought, and some boots (everyone in France wears boots and skinny jeans) I really wanted but couldn't bring myself to buy yet. After I get paid I will treat myself. I left Amiens about 4:30ish and headed back to Laon. Overall Amiens was nice, much busier than Laon, but they are both nice in different ways. I am going to Paris Saturday night for "La Nuit Blanche," so that will be my next entry, Until then, Stephanie

... our lunch of crepes, we took a walk along Hortillonnages, or gardens. Tourists were taking boat tours along the waterway. Two beautiful swans were along the waters edge, while ducks and their chicks swam in the water. I had some bread in my bag, so I fed the chicks. Amiens has other sights, including the Jules Vern museum but was closed when we were there. Our train back to Paris was delayed by about 10 minutes. Upon arrival back at Gare du Nord, we hit the rush hour on the ...

... so. But then you come to the cathedral, and everything suddenly changes. Amiens is home to the largest Gothic cathedral in France. Built over a period of around fifty years, it's very uniform in appearance, which makes it very constant and symmetrical stylistically. They've scrubbed up a good deal of the exterior over the past few years, removing that black grit that comes with life in France's former sooty industrial belt. There's even a lone half-timbered building ...