Amiens, in short.

My friend, Molly (another 'fake,' her name is Marissa), worked as an assistant in a middle school in Abbeville, which isn't too far from Amiens, which is in the region of northern France known as Picardie.

I'd been planning to visit her for months, but life in general got in the way. When Caitlin's flight was unexpectedly canceled because of the volcano, I suddenly had a week of nothing. Not a single plan. So I ran away to Abbeville/Amiens for the week-end.

When I got there Saturday morning, we went straight to the Museum of Picardie and its history. Voilà.

This was part of the inside. Not your typical paint job, that's for sure.

Ancient safety pins. I found it entertaining; they had tons of exhibits and discussions of ancient ruins. I really liked this museum, although my bad memory means that I can't cite any interesting facts.

I am told that the beautiful weather I enjoyed was atypical. At any rate there was a music festival in the Place Gambetta in the middle of town, so Molly and I ended up spending a big chunk of the afternoon there. This group is called The Nightingales, and the singer's voice is a style a bit like Counting Crows (and completely without accent)! I figured I had nothing to lose, so I struck up a conversation with the singer to see if he was American or not (not, as it turns out). I ended up chatting with half the band, and it turns out they're playing a show at the Olympia in Paris in September (which is a big deal). Little did I know. Too bad the show will be before I'm back!

The biggest cathedral in France, I'm told. Didn't go inside though.

It is very colorful.

This stupid movie traumatized me in FREN 241 at Binghamton. It possibly ruined French film for me as a side effect, but we shall see.

Scenic overlook. We stopped in one of the nearby bars for mojitos, but the volcano had grounded the planes that bring mint from Morocco. NO MOJITOS? Unacceptable. This volcano must be stopped.

We took a tour of the canals (remnants of the Romans!) while we were in Amiens. It was so beautiful and calm that I was half asleep by the end of the tour. I think I'm developing narcolepsy ...

After that we headed to Molly's place in Abbeville. Her bathroom was the size of my apartment, which is one way of describing how HUGE her place was. Lucky.