Peronne to Amiens

July 12
Peronne to Amiens
106 km
Le circuit de souvenir (the circuit of remembrance)
Graveyard upon graveyard, the ground is well fertilized with million or more bodies of brave, scared, hopeful and hopeless young men. The whispering wind, the quiet expanses of wheat and potatoes, yet it is possible to imagine the horrors that transpired here almost a century ago. Sitting beside Le Grand Mine, where the largest explosion mankind had ever created blew apart thousands in an instant, I could imagine the din and the spraying bits of bodies. The land still bears the odor of adrenalin and the sweat of fear, the memorials make it so. Perhaps we need the same in the United States, places to remember the horrors we are capable of.
The day was appropiately overcast, beginning to rain as I left Le Grand Mine, bidding farewell to the battlefields of the Somme and descending into Amiens. Must go back to visit the floating gardens before heading out to Rouen. It was raining too hard for me to say more than, "Wow!"
Menno's GPS did me well again, leading me to a fantastic camping ground within the city. Only 3 E, and WiFi, too. Le Parc des Cynes is surrounded by pond and canal. The birdsong is intense.