How can this magical place still exist in the middle of a bustling French city?
Since the Middle Ages there have been market garden plots here at Hortillonnages in Amiens, Northern France. Though horrific battles raged on its banks during the First and Second World Wars it has lived to bloom another day.
Birds and other wild creatures savour the richness of this wildness within a City.
Around fifty small islands, connected by narrow, richly overgrown canals, are still farmed for vegetables and flowers and a market is held here once a week.
There is no electricity on the small islands and the cottages built there are modest but charming.
The traditional flat bottomed boats, resembling gondolas, ferry tourists around this bucolic and gentle place.
In quiet reverence we drink in the peace around us for just a little while.
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Wow.
Wow. What a place and what photos! Amazing post. Thank you teaching something new about France.
Thank you for looking through my site – revisiting this one myself reminds me that the weather outside is not always frightful!
Gardens and beautiful places like this are my favourite haunts when I am travelling. You have captured the serenity in your images
How beautiful! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thank you – a lovely little corner of the world.
It is a special place – thanks for your visit!
What a gorgeous place! Wonderful photos and a lot of history.
Enjoy your weekend!
Dina
First of all, a very charming video…
And when you mentioned it was devastated by two world wars, I had to look it up but briefly. It appears the town was leveled primarily by Allied bombers. I find it incredible Hortillonnages was rebuilt according to first laid plans. Yet, I think of those who may have perished during that most horrible war… so when I see tourists marveling at its beauty, I hope they think of those who perished.
Thank you for adding this – I tried to find out more about what happened in the wars but had no luck. I did see incredible photos of the ancient cathedral still standing but surrounded by devastation.
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your visit.
That’s wonderful, and I knew nothing about it when I visited Amiens, years ago. An excuse to visit again, definitely. Thank you!
A nice surprise of a find for us too and we enjoyed the rest of the historic core as well. The cathedral was amazing.
An enchanted city. Great collection of lovely photos.
Thanks Mike, appreciate the visit and comment.
What a beautiful spot! I’ve never heard of this place before. I’m going to have to try to remember it. It looks like a place I’d enjoy visiting if I get to France.
Hope you do make it to France and thanks for the comments.
Absolutely beautiful. What a lovely place to spend time in the middle of a bustling city.
Thanks for your visit – it is a lovely place out of time.
What a glorious place! I wish…. 🙂
There are paths throughout – the perfect place for one of your walks!
It looks like such a delightful place. Those floating gardens are almost magical. And your photo are beautiful, capturing the essence of the place.
Thank you so much for the comments – much appreciated.
You have some fantastic shots here, Carol!
Thank you JP – it wasn’t too hard with what we had around us!
LIke others who comment, I had no idea this place existed. Absolutely magical.
It was a nice surprise for us too!
How gorgeous. It would be wonderful to see this in person.
Lillian
Glad you enjoyed your virtual tour and hope that you get there some day…there are great antique shops too!
Isn’t that a lovely place? Another one to put on my list!
I can highly recommend Amiens where Hortillonnages is located too. There are canals in town with great walking paths and restaurants… Think I may do a short post on it!
I’ll look forward to that. 🙂
How delightful. It looks like the sort of project that might suit our city! I think my grandfather was in this area during World War One.
Community gardens do seem to be flourishing everywhere these days – not with the history of this one but you have to start somewhere! There were terrible battles in and around Amiens in the First World War – your poor Grandfather and all those other young men.
Yes, it must have been terrible but he still seems to have had some time for sight seeing; seems odd, but there are postcards that indicate that was so.
… and yet one more reason to completely love France! ❤
Completely agree…As if we needed more!
I will be in Paris in October with occasional free time. I hope I remember to chase this up. It looks delightful.
You may want to try! There is a fast train from Paris to Amiens and besides Hortillonnages, the cathedral in Amiens is spectacular! It’s called the Notre Dame d’Amiens, hails from the same time as the one in Paris but is twice as big! Add to that, there are no lineups,crowds, entrance fee and surrounding it are parks, cafe’s,shops and artisan’s and it’s delightful.
Thanks for the information. Now, the challenge is for me to remember . . . Feel free to remind me if you noticing me getting close. Gwen
How utterly charming!
Not a bowl you over type of tourist place – I think utterly charming describes it well.
Sure wish my garden looked like that.
Me too…So nice to hear from you!
Absolutely gorgeous! What wonderful photos of this blissful spot.
Thank you and my photos don’t start to do the real place justice…love the description blissful for Hortillonnages.
Looks beautiful. Knowing what a gardener you are can well imagine how much you enjoyed this and once again I loved your photographs especially the one with the 2 ducks on the boat – incredible colours.
Thank you dear friend and this was great inspiration for my modest attempt at gardening…I like the shot of those two as well and with beautiful colours like that it’s hard to loose!
Thanks for taking us on a tour. I had no idea this existed. Another place to put on my list of things to visit in France. It seems that every time I go the places I ad outweigh the places I cross off the list!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it too. This was such a treat to find but then again so was Amiens with its amazing Gothic Cathedral and homes on other canals within the city itself. So keep this on your list no matter how large!
Amiens is one town I haven’t been to yet. Yup, it’s on the list.
What a beautiful place, and with all the history! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for coming along for the ride!This was a real treat to find and share.