2008-4-25 11:11am
A profile of the city of Amiens, a college town and more in the Picardy region, starts off as if it will concentrate on les Hortillonnages, that is, city gardens, recovered from swampland, where urban dwellers grow produce to be sold in local markets. It's a false start, however. The piece (taken from The Guardian U.K.) wanders away from fresh radishes and meanders to the other big attractions of the town: a major art museum, medieval squares, a center devoted to Jules Verne (who moved there), and, of course, its magisterial cathedral, Notre Dame, France's largest, and "the last resting place of John the Baptist's forehead." (Saint's relics can show up in the most unusual spots.) As long as you're aware that the story shifts mid-way, you'll enjoy the stroll. 
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