Thursday, 9/28

We drove to Dover and dropped off the car, boarding an afternoon ferry to Calais. We reserved the club lounge, which costs 25 GBP per person, a bargain as you get comfortable seating and all the food and drinks you want. We had a couple of glasses of champagne to start, then the buffet lunch which was quite good, with wine. Then desserts and coffee, and cognac, from a choice of liquors. The trip takes an hour and 40 minutes, and was very relaxing.

Arriving in Calais, we took the free shuttle to the station for the train to Amiens. I had bought tickets in advance but not realized there were 2 stations in Calais, the one in the center and Calais-Fretun, which is several miles away. That was the one I had inadvertently reserved. We would never have made it in time, and it would have meant a cab ride. It was too late to change the tickets or get a refund, so that was a loss, but at least there was a train leaving the central station that would get us to Amiens on time so we bought tickets for that.

Our hotel in Amiens, the Appart‘city was only a five minute walk from the station, and we were checked in with plenty of time to get to our 8:30 dinner reservation. This is a great bargain for 86 euros. I had booked a studio but they upgraded us. We had an apartment with a kitchenette, large living room, bedroom with a king-size bed, and a large bathroom. The décor is basic but it’s very comfortable and the location is unbeatable, halfway between the station and the cathedral. 

https://www.appartcity.com/fr/destinations/picardie/amiens/amiens-gare.html?search%5BstartDate%5D=19/10/2023&search%5BendDate%5D=20/10/2023&search%5BnbAdult%5D=2&search%5BnbChild%5D=0&search%5Bcode%5D=&gclid=CjwKCAjwyY6pBhA9EiwAMzmfwfqZu-NHMItisW5UnIBHNVjCIG98omiODgyjUUD8YQe2uZHw4NKKqxoCga8QAvD_BwE
https://www.appartcity.com/fr/destinations/picardie/amiens/amiens-gare.html?search%5BstartDate%5D=19/10/2023&search%5BendDate%5D=20/10/2023&search%5BnbAdult%5D=2&search%5BnbChild%5D=0&search%5Bcode%5D=&gclid=CjwKCAjwyY6pBhA9EiwAMzmfwfqZu-NHMItisW5UnIBHNVjCIG98omiODgyjUUD8YQe2uZHw4NKKqxoCga8QAvD_BwE

Dinner at Ail des Ours may have been the best choice in town, but fell short of expectations. I won’t bother to go into detail, but suffice to say it was nothing special.

Friday, 9/30

We spent the morning visiting the cathedral and strolling around the surrounding area. The cathedral is quite special, with much of the ancient polychrome decoration intact.

The river Somme runs through this part of the city, and there are colorful buildings and many restaurants lining the banks. As in most cities like this the restaurants along the water are forgettable.

For lunch we went to Brasserie Jules (named for Jules Verne, who lived in Amiens) which is adjacent to the station, so very convenient for departing in mid-afternoon.

Here we had a delicious lunch. I started with 6 Gillardeau oysters, which were huge and delicious. Stanley had a regional specialty, ficelle Picarde, a rolled crepe with ham and mushrooms, topped with cheese. For the main course we both had a mix of sweetbreads and kidneys, with mixed mushrooms. It was delicious but so rich we couldn’t finish. We did save room for dessert, though, and shared a Paris Brest, which was very good. With a nice bottle of 2010 St. Estephe, the total was about 130 euros. The wine isn’t even available at retail anymore, but at 39 euros it is probably just about what it would retail for, so it’s a great deal.

https://www.brasserie-jules.fr/

From the restaurant, we walked over to the station and caught the train to Paris. See the next instalment.