All that white stuff ...

Day 10

Sunrise in this part of the world is after 8am so it was still quite dark when we checked out of our aparthotel in Brussels  just before 7am and headed for the bus-stop enroute to Brussels Zuid station.  There were only about 4 other people on the bus and few passengers flagging it down so the trip took only about 15min.  We were catching the Thalys from Brussels to Lille Europe and then transferring to Lille Flanders for the train to Amiens.  

 As soon as we cleared the burbs of Brussels, and in the foggy half light of morning we realised the ground was covered in snow.  By the time we got to Lille it was hammering down and the trip across between the two train terminals was pretty slippery (note to self – wear different shoes next time)

 Snow covered the landscape all the way through to about Albert (just north of Amiens) – and sadly the windows on our quite comfortable, quite warm and quite fast train were filthy so you’ll have to get the idea from one of a very few photos that are vaguely OK.

Amiens is a lovely town – our next aparthotel is about 0.5km from the station and we found it easily.  I knew we couldn’t check in when we arrived in town (mid-day-ish) so we dumped our bags and the nice lady at reception gave us a map and we headed off in search of the Christmas Markets and the UNESCO World Heritage listed Notre Dame du Amiens. It was really cool to see the Aussie flag fluttering above the Amiens Railway Station.

The Christmas Market covers the length of the long central street in town and we wandered a bit before finding a little boulangerie (shop that sells sandwiches) for a bagel and a coffee. 

By now the weather had cleared, the sun was out and the sky was blue (though the wind was blowing a gale right off the arctic).  Having visited lots of churches over the years we know that if you have sunny skies outside, the church (and particularly the stained glass) will be much nicer to look through so we headed for Notre Dame.

You come round the corner and there she is,  The ornate front facade and the twin towers – all 113metres of her.  It’s a jaw-dropping moment.  Then you see the info board about the sandbagging done in 1915 to protect the church from the artillery attacks during WW1.

Through the doors and you cant help but look up… and you keep looking up and further up …  and when you finally bring your gaze down to somewhere around eye level you see the doors, then you see someone standing beside them and you realise just how damn big they are too.

Its no wonder this cathedral is world heritage listed – its stunning, and no wonder the church and town officials went to such extraordinary lengths to protect it during WW1.  There are a number of picture/info boards inside and outside showing protective sandbagging as well as damage caused by shelling.

After ogling our way round the inside, we took a lap of the outside – its equally as amazing – and the flying buttresses are really something else.  Parts of the outside is under scaffolding and tarpaulins as restoration work is carried out – I’m guessing it is going to be going on for years.

After the cathedral we found a little place for an afternoon cuppa and piece of cake before heading back to check-in properly.  Later we headed back into town for another look at the xmas market and some dinner.

More exploring Amiens tomorrow.