Come with me to Amiens - Chic & Stylish Linkup.

Morning my friends.

How’s June going for you?

I’ve had a busy few weeks, culminating in a run of trips away to France and Cornwall. Today I’ll share my two night stay in Amiens when I shared an AirBnb with David and four friends.

The weather has been nice over the past few days and it’s been lovely to venture out without a jacket! I got back to the gym on Monday and felt great doing it. I’m starting to see the difference since losing over a stone on the Keto diet and my fitness journey is going even better than normal as exercises seem to be slightly easier weighing less!

My two night stay in France started very early on Saturday morning. Our Eurotunnel crossing was a “silly o’clock” time (don’t ask) so we arrived at our destination at 7 am. We had a drive around and parked up near a river side market selling typical French wares. After a coffee we wandered along marvelling at the beautifully laid out stalls that offered cheese, charcuterie, vegetables and fruit, fish and sea food and flowers. All the owners were really friendly and one stopped us asking where we were from and telling us he lived in England and how much he liked it there. We’d decided to grab a few essentials from the supermarket and came out just under €300 lighter. We stocked up on fizz, beer, breakfast bits & some snacks along with biscuits and chocolate. We stuffed this into the car and headed back to grab something to eat and drink along the river.

The staff were very friendly and upon hearing that we were celebrating some 60th birthdays proceeded to bring us a scoop of ice cream with a big sparkler in it!

That evening, after a nice lunch in a different restaurant further along the riverside we decided to stay in at the AirBnb. We munched on the cheese, meats and crisps which we washed down with copious glasses of fizz and beer and had a cheeky glass of Lemonchello to round the night off.

David cooked a fabulous breakfast she next morning complete with sausages & bacon & we’d also bought some croissants which went down a real treat as well.

We were greeted by rain the next day and had a wander around to find the Cathedral. Unfortunately it was tipping it down so there was nothing more we could do than settled down for a drink in a little bar until it stopped. It soon passed and after a beer and coffee we headed off the visit the Notre-Dame which is a stunning venue.

The next two photos were taken about ten minutes apart! So pleased the rain went away because it would have been so dismal walking about in the rain!

The Cathedrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens is a masterpiece of French Gothic Art listed as a world heritage site. It's situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens. It's the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and boasts a 112 meter high spire, sumptuous sculpted portals, black and white marble paving that leads to the labyrinth. It certainly dazzled me on arrival. The sheer height inside is stunning and the smaller side areas were just as enchanting with wonderful paintings, stone work and prayer tables and everywhere is so quiet. We lit candles and made a small donation as entrance was free. We didn't venture into any of the towers but many have beautiful views of the surrounding city and have ornate stairwells, balustrades and gargoyles to marvel over. There's something so calming about churches and cathedrals and we often find ourselves drawn to them on trips away.

As only four of us went into the Notre-Dame we didn't stay too long and returned to our other friends to have a drink and wait for the little train that did tours around the city. This is a good way to see the various sights, but the only down side was that the commentary was all in French with no English translation!

The next day our return train wasn't booked until the afternoon so we decided to have a walk to find the Hortillonnages which is a float back in time. The floating gardens of Amiens was within easy walking distance from our AirBnb. It's a series of gorgeous island separated by canals, making for a very interesting - French experience. Unfortunately we didn't get to experience this because we should have booked in advance! But I'll let you know what we missed! As you leave the city behind and immerse yourself in nature, Roman times are called to mind when the marshland of Les Hortillonnages were transformed into market gardens. You can drift along the waterways or stroll among the islands which are now used for gardening, fishing or just relaxing in by over 1,000 different owners. You might see many species of birds who make this their home including mute swans, crested grebes and moorhens. In the summer the banks and gardens come alive with flowers and reeds and the beautiful water lilies and water primrose can be viewed too.

We headed back early afternoon and stopped off nearer the tunnel in the beautiful resort of Le Touquet. It's about 45 mins from Calais and is called Paris-on-sea! It was very Parisian with exotic houses set in woodland areas & had a sprawling sea front boasting a white sandy beach. This was very windy and we took shelter further in land among the shops and restaurants. We heard lots of English voices and decided it was because of how quick and easy it was to get there. We had a lovely meal in one of the many restaurants where I should have had a salad but settled on beef bourguignon which was served with chips - that was the clinching factor as I was back to my diet .... for one day before heading off to Cornwall! 😁