Day 10 Péronne to St Quentin

‘St Quentin you’ve been livin’ hell to me…’ (Johnny Cash)

Tuesday 9/4/2018

Distance 33.5km Total Distance from Canterbury 258km

Yesterday in Peronne I had the chance to visit the parish church of St Jean Baptiste, which I was delighted to find open. It is a huge church and the photographs on the noticeboard point to quite a vibrant community. What interested me was a particular side chapel which is dedicated to St Fursey. Fursey originated in the west of Ireland, and established a monastery at Killursa, near to Headford in Galway. He was one of a band of ‘missionary monks’ who made their way to England and then to Europe. So he was active first in East Anglia where he is venerated and then in what is now northern France in the region of Picardie and also nearer to Paris. After his death in 650 his remains were brought to Peronne where he was buried and where he has been remembered ever since. In the side chapel in the church in Peronne (not the original site of his burial) is a large statue to him.

Also, as I mentioned yesterday was the Solemnity of the Annunciation, when the Archangel Gabriel spoke to Mary. This is commemorated in a window in the same church.

My Italian guidebook urges me to go to St Quentin, although the other two do not. It is slightly off the official path, although as I have explained the very concept of ‘official’ path is very loosed. Indeed. Anyway, I thought I might get to see a Johnny Cash interpretative centre or museum (insert large wink emoji here.)

It was a long slog across minor roads and farm tracks. Nothing very much to say about the route as such. I did not get lost. There were nice swans at one point and a curious vending machine for fresh baguettes, croissants or pain au chocolat. Sad to see the absence of the traditional boulanger, but surely better than nothing. You can tap and pay with your credit card. Unusually I had lunch with me, having been able to make myself a sandwich in my self catering accommodation the previous night and I stopped to eat it outside Vermand, but no coffee! Again.

And eventually in increasing rain I made my way into St Quentin. It is a big city, on the river Somme and is an important railway town. It was an important Roman town. Perhaps that is why my Italian guidebook was so enthusiastice for me to see it. However, by the time I got there after nearly 34 km or walking, an by now rather wet, I was not really in the mood for exploring. And my ‘hotel’ was across the river, and I would have had to come back across and up the hill to explore it. I didn’t. Maybe I will come back one day. And of Johhny Cash – not a whisper!

I stayed in a hotel, the kind, to be honest, ‘where the ragged people go’, in behind the railway station. Basic would describe it, but with a welcoming couple who ran it and a nice bar and nice food. It was called Vasco da Gama. I don’t know why. Vasco da Gama was a contemporary of Christopher Columbus. From Portugal, he set out in the opposite direction and was the first European to reach India by sea. He is big in Lisbon, with an imposing modern monument on the waterfront there. I think he inspired my dreams that night.