Paying visit to the old memories
Trip Start
Apr 08, 2007
1
29
144
Trip End
Oct 01, 2007
Amiens,
France
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Really, it's not an amazingly picturesque place on the surface. Place de la Gare, just outside the station, is austere and concrete, and it's currently in the middle of a massive renovation project (which should look very nice eventually, judging from the models). The main drag through town and central square, Place Gambetta, are basically exercises in unimaginative post-war architectural boredom. Dotted here and there are vestiges of the old city, looking more forlorn than reminiscent of old glories. Mayu most certainly wasn't overly "wowed" by the place for the first hour or 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 still extant across the square from it, reminding you that even Picardie was once a beautiful corner of France. It's a pity what happens after two World Wars bulldoze a place.
But I digress. Just around the corner is le Quartier St. Leu, a thoroughly restored canal district of colorful old houses and charming cafes. It was here when Mayu perked up and decided the city wasn't so bad after all. Most of the same businesses that were there when I studied in town some nine years ago are still there; it was comical noting all the familiar names. And quite thankfully, my old Irish pub that I spent far too many evenings in was still open and active. We had to stop in for a pint of Kilkenny and a fair helping of nostalgia. Even the old Greek sandwich place down the way was still looking just the same as I left it. It's good to go back and see the places you were once a regular in.
Overall though, I came to the conclusion that it's still good to have those days behind you. Having arrived on a holiday (V-E Day) when everything was firmly closed and the downtown nearly vacant, I quickly remembered how much of a bore the place could be at times. Other than the few, unimpressive parks, there really was nothing much to do on weekends, holidays and the numerous days when public transportation went on strike. One can only afford so many visits to the pub, both for the liver's and the wallet's sake. It was fun while it lasted.
