A day lost and gained
I should be more upset: the cherished dream of visiting Ypres and Fromelles evaporated because our assumption that Avis in Amien could provide a
GPS navigator proved unfounded. But given the weather and road conditions, perhaps it has been for the best.
Today, the morning temperature in Paris was -7 and it was worse here. There has been fresh snow everywhere and, of course, the slush and ice have been treacherous. It would have been a tentative trip into Belgium as even our walk around town has been careful.
We spent quite some time in the Cathedral with and excellent guided tour. The photos and video tell the full tail, but they can’t give the full experience of the cold – it must have been ten below in there.
Because it has escaped both Reformation and Revolution, it has a continuity of development we have not often seen. From the remnants of the polychromatic decorations and the labyrinth, the late Renaissance carvings in the choir stalls and reliefs, to the baroque splendour of pulpit and high altar: it was a gothic celebration and education that we really appreciated. The damage from the wars has been tragic but not destroyed the atmosphere.
Among the memorials to the dead of La France and to Australian and other Allies, were two moments of pathos: the plaque to Raymond Asquith and the weeping angel that became the subject of an iconic postcard that many Australians sent home from the Somme Front.
The snow lifted but the temperature dropped and has continued dropping. We got some sun for the walk through St Leu, Amiens’ very pretty “little Venice”. But in the end, we had to retreat indoors and read the afternoon away, like much of northern France.
Tomorrow, the Somme.
