Amiens, the French are weird folk......

I arrived in Amiens yesterday afternoon and there was the biggest market ever right outside my hotel, the clothes were dirt cheap and really nice, and me with no room in my suitcase.... I could have cried. All the shops are having sales with up to 70% off, bloody hell!! I am walking around with my eyes down hoping to avoid looking at them. Sometimes life is so not fair!!

I went out this morning at about 7am, nothing is open, not a thing, most of the shops did not open until 10am, 10am, what?? I have no idea how this place works... It is very confusing. I did not expect everyone to speak English, but I did expect the young to speak it, but no, very few do and most of them not very well. They wear shirts with English slogans, they listen to English music, but they barely speak it. I find that strange. I do not mean when I approach them, they are approaching me, mostly to beg or bot cigarettes I assume, but when I say I do not speak French, they look very disappointed and shrug their shoulders and pick on someone else, they do not have any English...

I was trying with my crap French to order a meal and the young girl was not happy, I am sure she said something derogatory to her friend regarding English. I really felt like telling her that if it wasn't for the English speaking people of this world, there would be no French language, she would be speaking German!!! But I didn't, if they push me much further though, they just might get an ear full, some of them are very rude!! I do try with French but my accent must be crap because they do not understand anything I say, well almost everything. I do get somethings right.

I visited the local Cathedral this morning, it was very impressive. This afternoon I went on a little cruise around some local canals/gardens. The French are very proud of it, but I didn't see all the fuss myself, it was nice, but not all that. The guide was apparently quite amusing, everyone was laughing and having a ball, I have no idea, I couldn't understand what he was saying. He was really nice though, he kept touching my shoulder and saying things slowly so I would understand, yeah that really helped, but he tried. He had a few English words, like Parakeet.. That comes in handy in most conversations, parakeet.

I am still trying to cope with this traffic/pedestrian thing. Although the French drive on the wrong side of the road, at least they stay on that side, unlike the British/Irish who drive on either, depending on where they want to go. But I cannot remember which side it is half the time. I approach an intersection like Linda Blair in the Exorcist, head spinning, looking for where they are going to come from. It is very daunting, a lot of streets are one way, but which way... None of the intersections have pedestrian buttons, you just have to wait on the traffic and that turns the little dude green... it takes ages and most of the French do not bother waiting, they just go.. I am too frightened to do that, mostly the lights turn red when you are half way across the road, no flashing green men here, they just go straight to red!! Crossing the road is a real effort and mostly I try not to do it, unless there are a lot of French people to cushion the blow..

I am yet to work out the French, they seem to have a very high regard of themselves. I swear even the babies in their pushers sneer at you!! I have no idea how they learn that so young, but they do. Some French people have been very nice, but not many, mostly they look at you like you're something they just scrapped of the bottom of their shoe. I do hope that Paris is better, Northern France is not very tourist friendly at all, they are quite happy to take you money though, the little buggers.

I will leave you with some pics, I hope you enjoy them. Thanks for the comments too folks, it is good to get feedback.

Cheers

Lones


Local Cathedral


Close up. Just look at the carvings on this thing... Impressive


A clock in the town, there are many treasures like this around the towns, you just have to keep your eyes open.


Some of the canals were quite nice


But a lot just looked like this, I think they are growing vegetables, but not quite sure, you know the whole language barrier thing!!


There are a lot of houses in the canals and some have nice gardens, some don't. Here is one that did.