Let me explain the forwards and backwards. Last time I posted I was in the delightful city of Chartres, having had to catch the train there because of my painful back. After spending a week there I retraced my steps, by train, back through Paris and north to Glisy, near Amiens. My purpose for going there was to attend the Dawn Service at the Australian Memorial in Villers Brettonuex.
Though my back was too sore to allow me to walk distances around Chartres I still saw much, taking the little tourist train on an expedition both at night to see the lights, and during the day to see the sights.
The River Eure flows through Chartres, and along its banks are many lavoirs where washer women washed cloth in days gone by. Some lavoirs have been converted to other purposes as in the case of the building bottom left, now a restaurant.
Because taxes were charged on the surface area of the ground floor of a building, the people of Chartres had a cunning tax avoidance scheme whereby they made the ground floor smaller, but extended the upper stories outwards - tax free!
The trouble with going from the South of Paris to the North is that I had to change trains from Montparnasse to the Gare du Nord. I didn't feel able to walk the distance from Montparnasse to the Montparnasse Metro, and cheated by catching a taxi across town to Gare du Nord. On the return journey I avoided going to Montparnasse altogether and caught a connecting train South from Austerlitz. Much easier, even though I had to twiddle my thumbs for a few hours!
The imposing entrance to Gare du Nord, Paris.
Arriving at the hotel in Glisy, on the outskirts of Amiens, I could have been mistaken for thinking I was back in Australia. For the first time in almost a year I was surrounded by people speaking with Aussie accents and hearing typical Aussie expressions, continuing through dinner and for the next few days.
That evening, being unable to book a taxi, I started to walk out to the Memorial, but after a few kilometers realized I wouldn't make the distance and so hitched out. The young man who picked me up assured me, in broken English, that he would "deliver me to Villers Brettonuex for the commemoration", which he duly did. The only problem was that I now had about three hours to fill before it was open at 2.00am! Some time around 1.00am I met David a retired nurse from Gepps Cross (Adelaide), and so we chatted together until we were allowed to walk the 2kms down the road to the Memorial site, where we then sat together. It was nice to have a friend for a few hours.
I am not sure if there were as many people as they were expecting, but I heard the figure rise from 6,000 to 8,000, though I suspect the weather might have reduced numbers a bit. The Service was moving with wonderful music provided by a choir from Queensland, and the Australian Navy Band. Though it drizzled on and off initially, by the time the pre service music started at 4.00 am it became a steady downpour continuing through till the conclusion of formalities, just like I remember Anzac Day's of old! At least it was only rain and no wind.
Waiting to go through the turnstiles at 2.00am. Already a crowd.
The Australian War Memorial.
Waiting for the seats to fill. The chaps with the pink scarves were the " ushers", wiping the seats dry for people before sitting, though as time wore on that seemed an increasingly futile exercise!
The cross of sacrifice, with the memorial in the background.
In Amiens the street's were bedecked with Australian flags (below) and the entrance to the railway station had posters up (above).
A view from my hotel in Amiens before heading south again.
Many of the bigger railway stations have very nice Yamaha pianos (in tune) in them, along with adjustable seats. People walk past and play - some good, and others ....!
After leaving Amiens I headed south again, passing through Paris, but rather than returning to Chartres I decided to move on to Tours. I am disappointed not to have walked here, but my back would not have withstood it. I have spent an enjoyable five days here sightseeing, having more physio, and resting. I'm fretting, wanting to start walking, but don't want to undo the work that has been done on my back. It is much improved, and I feel I can start walking very soon. Mind you, it has rained steadily the last two days, so these days I'm not complaining about.
Tours is a delightful city. It has two parts to the city - the old, and the "new" which to my eyes looks pretty old too. Wide boulevards skirt around the newer city, though of course the medieval city has very narrow streets, filled with little shops and restaurants. The two parts of the city are linked with a good shopping precinct, a busy tram system running through its centre, and with the Loire River flowing through the city. The wide boulevards are tree lined and there are some lovely gardens and parks, both in the city, and along the river.
More about Tours next time.
The pollarded plane trees eventually start shooting.
Cathédrale Saint-Gatien, Tours
The stained glass windows in the Cathedral are not as big or grand as in Chartres, nor in some cases as old, but lovely nonetheless.
I was thinking about you on Anzac Day, and wondering what you were up to! Sounds like your back still needs time to heal- hope you can continue walking in the end... I loved Tours as well. Went there when I was cycling along the Loire. Loved the way St Martin seemed very real there, and in the countryside nearby.
ReplyDelete