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Swallows and Amazons, Wind in the willows – every literary image of tinkering in boats in the most rustic style imaginable came to mind as we cruised along tree-lined waterways and floating gardens Amiens.
As if on cue, the kingfisher rushed across the water, adding a a flash of blue to the gray November sky and the golden leaves still clinging to the trees. We were in the Hortillonnages, an intricate tangle of canals, islands, streams, floating gardens and even art installations that transform the River Somme into a magical water world.
Using a quiet electric motor, Pascal Goujon (or Paco, as he is commonly called) took us through this 300-hectare wetland mosaic where the people of Amiens have cultivated their gardens on these islets for generations.
While the current number of market gardeners is a fraction of what it was a century ago, their seasonal produce still ends up in the food stalls in Place Parmentier overlooking the Somme and, therefore, on the menus of many of the city’s restaurants.
It was another pleasant surprise about Amiens, the ancient capital of Picardy (now part of the Hauts-de-France region), which I always passed on my way to somewhere else, but somehow never stopped. The attraction of the nearby coast has always been too strong, especially the two villages opposite each other across the Baie de Somme, St-Valéry-sur-Somme and Le Crotoy.
But here within a two-hour drive of Calais’ Le Shuttle terminal was a a bustling university town with the largest Gothic cathedral in Franceseveral excellent restaurants and museums, lively student bars, imaginative street art and, thanks to the network of waterways that run through the city, some wonderfully wacky architecture.
Like many cities in northern France that suffered extensive damage during the world wars of the 20th century, Amiens had to be reconstructed, which is why there is a rich architecture that looks as if it has been undisturbed for centuries.
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And until December 29th, Amiens hosts the largest venue in northern France Christmas marketwhich occupies the length of the city’s main shopping street, the pedestrianized Rue des Trois Cailloux. The market stalls also weave into the alleys leading to the magnificent 13th-century Notre-Dame Cathedral, whose nightly illuminations form part of the Christmas festivities, before diving deep into the medieval Saint-Leu district and across the Somme to restaurant-lined restaurants. Quai Bélu.
I was there before the Christmas market opened, but Saint-Leu didn’t need any seasonal glow to work its magic on me. I was immediately enchanted by the rows of colorful houses, some of which were made of wood and others of planks. The gabled houses along the Rue du Don can be reached via individual bridges over the narrow waterway, a reminder of the medieval mills that powered the work of weavers, millers and dyers. The cobbled Rue du Hocquet runs parallel with more picturesque houses, some of which have been converted into shops and cafes.
This led me to the Rue des Bondes, whose café terraces spill onto the cobblestones and line either side of a small canal that flows into the Somme. With the university so close, I wasn’t surprised to find the whole area teeming with students. Things were slightly quieter on the Somme at Quai Bélu, where some of the waterfront restaurants were already in winter hours. The honorable exception was The donkey is backa friendly little place that specialized in galettes and produced the most sublime quiche oozing with crisp northern French maroilles cheese (there were more cheesy delights nearby The Quayalso).
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In fact, eating well is not difficult in Amiens, I soon discovered. At Hyacinthwhere most of its creative menu comes from within 100km, you can sample vegetables grown in the Hortillonnages, along with Picardie beef, pork and veal, and prized lamb fed on the salt marshes of the Baie de Somme. In this land of cheese and cheese dishes, Amiens has its own specialty – stringsavory pancake filled with ham and mushrooms and smothered in melted cheese and creamy sauce. It is usually served as an appetizer, so choose your second course wisely.
Where there is salty there is also sweet, especially sweets Jean Trogneuxa chocolatier that has been operating since 1872. Now in his sixth generation of chocolatier, 31-year-old Jean-Baptiste Trogneux, who introduced me to macarons d’Amiens. Not, as I immediately assumed, the ubiquitous brightly colored meringues, but a chunky disk of almonds almost like a spongy Bakewell cake.
“There are more than 20 types of macarons in France,” he told me. “This one was created by Jean-Baptiste, my great-great-great-great-grandfather, and we haven’t changed the recipe since. Of course, the first ingredient is almonds, which come from Valencia. They are known to be the best almonds in the world.” The result was deliciously soft and chewy, the almonds gently sweetened with honey. It was only after I left the shop that I remembered that Jean-Baptiste’s great-aunt was Brigitte Macron, wife of the French president, both born in Amiens.
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I didn’t have to go far to find evidence of another famous Amiénois. Although Jules Verne was born in Nantes, he made Amiens his home from 1871 until his death in 1905. The house where he lived from 1882 to 1900. Jules Verne’s houseis a fascinating recreation of the author’s life and work, which transports me to the rich literary world of the 19th century.
For a double dose of culture, save a few euros by buying a combined ticket for his house and house Picardy Museumthe first in France built specifically as a museum. This opulent 19th-century building takes you from antiquity to the 20th century through a compelling collection of artefacts and art from France and around the world.
My favorite salon was the one devoted to pictures of ordinary life in Picardy and the neighboring Côte d’Opale over the centuries. On the way back to Calais, as we stopped for a late lunch of shellfish at Le Crotoy (where, by the way, Jules Verne had a summer house and kept his boat), I was reminded of those 19th-century paintings of women on the coast of Picardy busily gathering molluscs in muddy sand. True, I couldn’t resist the coast again, but this time I knew what urban charms lie along the river.
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How to do it
Mary Novakovich was a guest Tourism Hauts-de-France, Amiens Tourism and Le Shuttlewhich has Folkestone-Calais return crossings from £178. Ibis Styles Amiens Center is stylish hotel near the train station with a funky restaurant and bar. Double rooms from €127, including breakfast. Boat trips to the Hortillonnages can be booked via SMS on +33 06 89 43 21 and cost €13 for a 50-minute afternoon trip and €24 for a 2.15-hour morning trip.
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