Hortillonnages d'Amiens

Before traveling to Amiens, it was difficult to wrap my head around the Hortillonnages: 740 acres of floating gardens and narrow canals, shaped over time from the marshes of the River Somme. Dating back to the Middle Ages, the landscape was created as farmers mined peat from the riverbanks, shaping the landscape into what exists today. Most of the gardens are now residential/summer homes, with a few small farms still scattered among them.

But what made an impression on me more than anything else were the petits ponts.

To access homes separated by the canals, each owner had built a small footbridge connecting their property to the main walking path, the Circuit de la Canardière. Each bridge seemed to have its own personality, which I imagine says as much about the owners as it does about the bridges themselves.

Some were stern, almost aggressive, with barbed wire, while others felt romantic and inviting with detailed iron scrollwork. Many of the doors were secured with old bicycle chains, which only added to the charm.

And then there were the bridges that seemed to be disappearing altogether; consumed by vines and greenery slowly becoming part of the landscape. I wondered about the people who had crossed them every day. Maybe they had grown too old to tend to their gardens, moved away, or simply passed on, leaving their plots behind.