I’m finishing up a shortened workweek
following a three-day weekend in honor of November 11 (I always seem
to be returning from a break of some sort). Sarah, Swenja, Alex and I
decided to take advantage of the extra free time by visiting Laon, a
town about 45 minutes from Saint-Quentin.
Laon turned out to be very picturesque:
it’s situated on top of a hill amidst otherwise flat countryside,
providing us with an impressive view of the elevated city when we
arrived. Our first of two guided tours gave us an even better vantage
point: focusing on Laon’s medieval history, the tour began with a
trip up one of the cathedral’s five towers. Though this involved
two very narrow spiral staircases and several hundred steps, it was
worth it for the amazing views of Laon and the surrounding landscape
that awaited us at the top.
Our second tour was a nice complement
to the first: after seeing Laon from its highest point, we explored
the city’s network of subterranean tunnels. Some of the tunnels
were rough passages of stone, while others were fully built corridors
with vaulted ceilings; there were even large underground rooms used
for various purposes from the Middle Ages through the 20th
century. Like every town in northeast France, Laon was directly
impacted by WWI and WWII, during which one of these underground
chambers was used to safely store the city’s records from the
fighting aboveground.
~ First view of Laon (Cathedral to the left) ~
~ Medieval hospital ~
~ Medieval gate ~
~ View from the top of the Cathedral ~
~ Cathedral details ~
~ Underground corridor ~
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