bring me the head of John the Baptist

I have left Paris with the inimitable Jane, I'm her road dawg this week as we tour around northern france making use of her car.
In Amiens right now, on one of these wretched french keyboards again...yesterday we drove up near Boulougne (just southwest of Calais) to hang out with her parents for the afternoon, then took the scenic route sort of along the coast to Amiens.

Along the way we stopped at the Etaples Military Cemetary which I believe is the largest commonwealth military cemetary in France. Something like 73,000 11,000 (uh, oops...big difference) people are buried there, mostly casualties of the First World War (although there are also some from the Second).
Rows and rows of tombstones that look a little like teeth sticking out of the ground - we were the only ones there in this impeccably maintained place. Very peaceful and somber, there are four books which log the name and some information about each person buried there...stacked up it's the equivalent of a two inch thick ream of paper; each piece covered in names.
We are planning to visit more of the Somme war memorials today, I've been attempting to read Un Long Dimanche de Fiancelles by Sebastien Japrisot (source for the film - english title is A Very Long Engagement). It's set during and after World War One so it's interesting and also horrifying to see the remnants of things I've only read about.

As for John the Baptist - we just visited the cathedral in Amiens which is incredibly huge and beautiful (and fffrrrreeeeezing) and is the host to a fragment of John the Baptist's head. Sadly it was in a little case so one couldn't actually see the gory details, but I saw the case which will have to suffice. Headlessness seems to be a bit of a theme at this particular cathedral; outside there is a long series of statues which I think are supposed to represent kings of france or maybe these were specific saints, a couple of them are holding onto their detached heads. And then inside there is a statue of Judith holding the head of Holofernes.

Finally, a few more photos - not exactly up to date but at least I'm trying. More new ones can be seen here.

Rodin's The Thinker; at the Musee Rodin


The Chagall Ceiling at the Palais Garnier:


Rain at the Centre Pompidou: