We have just come back from a short trip to France. We stayed at St. Valery sur Somme, an attractive ancient town on the Somme estuary an hour or so South of Calais. It was from here that William the Conqueror set out to sail to England in 1066. A picture of the view from the battlements of the old town over the salt marshes of the estuary is shown above
We spent a day in Amiens. Once an industrial town, flattened in the War, and until recently rather run down, Amiens is now undergoing a revival. We much enjoyed walking around the streets, admiring the well-restored buildings. Many streets run along canals, diverted from the river, which criss-cross the city. On the edge of the town it is possible to take a boat trip around an area of ancient market gardens, which are very interesting. One of the rather elaborate garden sheds is pictured above.
I can rarely resist a photo of a decent litter bin, and the one above, which states that the citizens of Amiens like their city tidy, reminded me of the ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ campaigns of the 60’s and 70’s. I do wish that anti litter campaigns were as obvious and memorable today in the UK. The slogans on the bins seem to have some impact. Of course there was some litter in Amiens, but a lot less than that strewn around Babergh.
