Hi, I reluctantly left my Paris Hotel, still feeling terrible, messed up my Metro stop ( with my heavy bags) finally got to the station. I miscalculated how busy it would be, half of Paris was there going away for Easter. No seating and the train platform is only announced 15 mins prior to departure so then mad rush for seats. I did not have allotted seat. , but was obviously in the seat of a lady who did but she graciously let me stay. The landscape for the hour trip was dead flat ( must have been hard in the war, no where to hide) mostly crops, some bright yellow fields ( ? Rapeseed)
Amiens is a nice town, very old in places. There is an Anzac info booth outside station - I was teary when I saw our flag !!! Tours full of battle fields.
I walked around town today, finally feeling a bit better. The Cathedral is SPECTACULAR twice as big as Notre Dame. It is from 1220 AD !!!!
Walked for kms along canals with mansions at the start changing to garden sheds further along all with bridges for access. Will be interesting to find out what all these canals are about and where the water comes from.
Tomorrow I am going to Villiers- Brettoneux ( same place as Anzac Day 5 am ceremony ) to see the cemeteries ,museums etc. I will walk then to Le Hamel. Trains coming back are lousy so may walk the 16 kms back ( good training for next week)
Then Sunday I have booked train tickets to Albert, another WW1 museum etc.
Wish I had booked a battlefield tour but at $200 a day I delayed! Don't feel well enough to hire a car and concentrate on driving on right side here. Tho they seem very responsible drivers- Tho I notice they use their mobiles while driving - a big no-no in Australia.
Hotel is spitting distance from the train station and city centre and Cathedral, very nice for a change. City centre all a Mall, shops open as usual tho Good Friday.
I have noticed here as well as Paris the tremendous amount of people who eat outside at tiny little tables, all squashed up against each other, 10 cm from pedestrians, and 20 cms from the traffic. They love eating out, definitely not all healthy food, and lots of wine and coffee consumed.
Tomorrow finally I will need to either buy dinner or - horrors of horrors- eat out !!!
Bought bread and fruit ( bananas $ 3 kg for Aussies paying $12) and a beer to reward myself after 10 km walk along canals.

Sunday 24 th April .
I am feeling spectacularly unwell after a so- so day yesterday.
Billets-Brettoneax was set up for Aussis with cutout kangaroos and koalas stuck in council gardens etc and a special tourism office.
But still without transport it was kms to the Memorial and Cemetery and other monuments. I walked the 12 km return trip to Le Hamel which had a superb monument, but that was on a quiet little road. Was preparing to walk back here then saw the busy road merged with a freeway requiring. 10 km detour. So sat in a park for 2 hrs. The trains are hopeless, 2 or 3 a day. I did over 30 kms of walking was tired.
My travel plug adaptor blew up last night, I put the spare fuse in, it went 10 secs later. After stressing all night about how to keep my phone charged I wS lent one by a Aussie who heard me talking to the hotel owner.
Finally the shops are shut - for 2 days so can't replace it, mind you I have nothing resembling an electrical shop.
Today feeling lousy I got the train to Albert, nothing open, tiny town, big Cathedral, fabulous war museum and that's it!!! I asked to Pozieres which looked interesting ( no transport of course) but it was 8+ kms each way along a busy highway.
I looked at a war cemetery then decided to come on the 2 pm train not the 6 pm I had a ticket for. There was a guard on the train, luckily he didn't ask for my ticket.
The area would be fabulous with a car but frustrating and hopeless without.
I will consider hiring a car the spare week I have before returning home.
Lots if people smoke here - women too.
There was a cat in a cage on the train seat next to me last night. It wasn't happy either.
I expected to see more dogs too than I have.
Not a lot of children around either.
Sunday 25th
Up at 3 am for 3.45 bus. Cold as.
Fabulous there, got a seat but too sick and cold to appreciate it. Back to town now waiting for train to south of France and start walk tmw! Goodness knows how the way I feel. Just rang Margaret to get me transport tonight!
And she is arranging for our bags to be transported tmw ( over the MTS)
Well hope I M better next time.
Carol