New Year's in Picardie

Trip Start Dec 19, 2001
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Trip End Jul 20, 2002


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Saturday, December 29, 2001

When I was in university, I spent a semester abroad in Amiens, the capital of the Picardie region of northern France. This is an area that got soundly steamrolled in both World Wars, so much of the urban architecture is drably post-war and concrete. There are some exceptions, however. Amiens is notable as a big university center, but it is undoubtedly more famous as being home to the largest Gothic cathedral in France. This gorgeous feature, along with a few quaint (if overly restored) remnants of the old town, kept the city from being a bland swathe of cement (à la Calais, further north).

Still having a friend in the area, I decided to make a nostalgic stop there to ring in 2002. Having finished a brief visit with the relations in England, I jumped on down to Victoria Station for the Eurostar onwards to Lille. Amiens was just a short journey away, where my friend met me at the station. Despite being due to head for Prague in a matter of a few days, I managed to get in a few days of enjoyment as well as the New Year's festivities. Crazed the night was not, but it's always nice to spend some time in old haunts and drink with an old mate.
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