Picquigny, Ailly-sur-Somme, Saint Saveur, Amiens FR 3-5 June 2022 On Friday afternoon we picked up our first guest of the year - Vivienne - from my French Conversation group in Melbourne. Thanks to her for many of the people photos on this post. We had the morning free, so we cycled up to Vignacourt about 9kms away. According to google maps - a mostly flat ride. Well that wasn't true. There were 3 or 4 hills to get there, the first quite steep (we found out on the way home is was a 7% gradient). We had decided to go there as it had been recommended to us by a passerby, who was a history professor. There is a museum there that displays photos taken behind the front line of soldiers in the first world war. This collection was found in an attic there and there is a Channel 7 (in Australia) documentary about it. It has now been bought and donated to the Australian War Memorial, but there is a small museum in Vignacourt where the photographers lived and worked, and the photographic plates were found. They show the documentary as well as display some of the 4000 photos found, and explain a bit of the history of the photos and the town during the war. For more infomation see - The Lost Diggers of Vignacourt https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/remember-me Vivienne arrived by train and we had a bit of a look around Picquigny on the bikes, and then a cycle along the canal. We had 2 locks to go through to our next morning at Ailly. In Ailly, Vivienne and I went to the market. We thought we might be a little late, but we found most of what we were looking for fruit and vegetables, cheese, and charcuterie and had chats with many stall holders including the very interesting honey guy. After lunch we had a quick look around Ailly, then Howard and I went to Saint Saveur. There were some very run down houses there. Dinner was confit de canard on the back deck. Sunday was Vivienne's last day. We headed into Amiens and were pleased to get the same mooring as we'd had last time. As my foot was sore and I needed to pack, I didn't go with Howard and Vivienne on their walk around the city, but I cycled into town to meet them at the station with Vivienne's back pack and larger handbag.
It had been great to have Vivienne on board for a few days.
4 Comments
Pam Kershaw
12/6/2022 01:47:45 am
Lovely to see Viv on board! We know her from our Friday OYB bike group. Small world!
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Wendy & Peter Chappell
12/6/2022 03:23:22 am
Lovely to see some photos of you all having a wonderful time.
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Johanna Hersey
13/6/2022 10:26:49 am
Looks like so much fun was had by everyone!
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Vivienne Blanksby
17/6/2022 09:51:12 am
Thanks so much, Deb and Howard. You were terrific hosts and it was a really different experience for me. The barge is very comfortable and the technology fit-out is amazing. I was impressed with your teamwork in manoeuvring the boat through the locks and up to the moorings. For me, it was all very relaxing, gliding along through beautiful riverside scenes. It was fun engaging with the local characters too - a chance to make use of those years of trying to maintain fluency in French . Overall, life on the barge was pretty darned good - a delight in fact!
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AuthorWe are sharing stories about and travels on our barge Moondance. Archives
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