We have enjoyed riding on the canal today: a good surface for riding and the surroundings have been beautiful. We think that it is becoming more scenic the farther we go. We are pleased that there are no rough stones or narrow mountain bike trails to ride over (like after Abbeville), but the fine gravel is coating everything with a white powder including us. Barry just cleaned the bike and degreased the chain a few days ago while camping at Brighton - now it looks like it has never been cleaned. When we look down, our legs are white and our panniers are no longer yellow.
The route is not busy and we have only encountered a few other cyclists touring this area. We think that it may take some time for the word to get out about this region.
Because Amiens is a place we want to tour such as the Cathedral and Jules Verne Museum, we know that we can't cycle further, so we will stop early. The campground is not conveniently located in Amiens for our needs, so we will stay in the Youth Hostel, a former military barracks.
We toured the Cathedral and rented audioguides. This Unesco Heritage Site is well worth a visit.
An unsettling sight, when we emerged from the Cathedral, was the arrival of French military in full combat gear, heavily armed. They were checking corners and waste receptacles, and positioned themselves around the square and the Cathedral. Just the previous day, a priest had been murdered and hostages taken at a church near Rouen. It is an unfortunate reality in France today, that these measures must be taken and are in place to protect its citizens. We could see the stress of locals and tourists when they watched the arrival of the military.
It is time for us to move on to the Youth Hostel. It has been an exceptional day of riding and touring an impressive Cathedral. The Youth Hostel is a great value for us: 22 euros each including breakfast for a private room with bathroom.
We enjoyed camping at Long Municipal Campground - breakfast at camp on our ground chairs is a good start to the day.
Lunch by the locks on the canal. These stone picnic tables and benches which are inscribed with "Somme" are frequently found along the route and are representative of the upgrades that are being made to the infrastructure of the route.
We like that the path by the canal in this area is quite good - but the fine gravel is very dusty and completely covers you and your bike by day's end. A feature of the Somme is the extensive waterways which are well used by recreational areas for fishers, canal boats, etc. We are usually surrounded by water here.
These signs are prominently displayed in public areas of Amiens - France is on high alert for terrorist attacks, but especially so since the tragic attack near Rouen yesterday. This sign asks you to be vigilant and report any unclaimed parcels or strange behavior to the police.
Amiens Cathedral is vast with many open spaces. This labyrinth created by the pattern of the tiles provided much entertainment for this little girl, but its intent is to provide a pilgrimage that one can walk (240 metres) to mimic the sense of trekking to Santiago de Compastella.
Much work was done during the two WW's to protect the priceless contents and exterior of this cathedral. This picture shows how they protected the Stalls of the Choir from the 16th century.
It is hard to see in this photo, but the front of the stalls are carved with scenes of traditional Picardy life. The choir stalls are the finest example of wooden sculptures in France.There are over 4000 sculpted figurines displayed.
The Youth Hostels in France have been very good and reasonably priced. 22 euros per person for a private room with bath and breakfast buffet. The building is a former military barracks that has been converted to be a convention centre and hostel
