In the north of France lies the lovely city of Arras. It is a beautiful and vibrant city with amazing Flemish influenced architecture and has a spectacular grand place. Come along with me for a quick trip to this cute little city!
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On my 3 week trip to France, I got to experience A LOT of the country in a short amount of time. One of the places visited on that crazy whirlwind trip was Arras.
After taking a drive to visit the Canadian Memorial, Vimy Ridge, we drove 20 mins south to Arras, a small city in Northern France.
Many of the places Yann took me to, I had never heard of before, so it was great to discover new places and see more of France than I’d ever imagined I would.
Before Arriving at Arras, we first stopped at the ruins of the Towers of mont Saint-Eloi, which was just up the road from Vimy Ridge.
We parked the car and walked around to the other side of the ruins taking in the extremely tall structure that was left behind after the war and we took in the view over the hills below.
We snapped pictures, of course, and I got another mini-history lesson from Yann on the ruins.
On a hill overlooking Arras stand the remains of two towers which bear testament not only to the once-powerful Mont-Saint-Eloi Abbey but also to the savage fighting that took place in the area during the Great War.
According to legend the abbey was established in the 7th century by Saint Vindicianus, a disciple of Saint Eligius (Saint Eloi in French), and by the Middle Ages it had become a powerful religious centre; however the turbulent times of the Revolution saw its walls pillaged for their stone. All that survived were the twin towers of white limestone and the porch on the west wall.
From the beginning of the Great War the towers were used by French troops to observe German positions on Lorette Spur and Vimy Ridge. The suspicions of the French soldiers were aroused when Germans fired upon their every movement until it was realized that what was giving them away was not a spy but the birds nesting on the towers which took flight when troops disturbed them.
Passage taken from Remembrancetrails-northernfrance.com
There was also this very interesting bicycle pyramid structure thing at the front of the towers. I’m not sure what or if it represented anything, but I just thought it looked cool.
Satisfied with our visit, we hopped back into the car and drove the rest of the way to Arras.
As we’d started our day a little bit later than planned (a usual thing for us, sigh), we arrived at Arras in the late afternoon. Luckily it isn’t a big city so I was able to see the majority of the highlights of the town in a short period of time.
Yann found parking along the side of the road and we walked into the main part of town. We strolled around as I was shown the main square, also known as Place des Heros. At the far end of the square sat the Beffroi d’Arras, a beautiful big building with a massive clock tower.
The architecture in Arras is so charming in only the way European cities can be. Known for its beautiful Flemish-baroque style architecture, I absolutely loved the look and feel of Place des Heros.
The townhouses lining the square, each had tall archways leading to the storefronts on their main floors, had large tall windows that lead up to the rounded tops of the roofs.
We did in a little window shopping as we walked around the square and decided to head into a bar/restaurant named Caffe Leffe for a little pick-me-up. The cafe was just off the square beside the Rue de Justice.
After some deliberating, we decided to indulge in chocolate crepes and a cool glass of beer.
One of the things I love about visiting France is that with almost every meal, or dessert, a glass of wine or beer is always had. Not saying that’s the norm in France, but it seems to be Yann and my norm whenever I visit. Also, I am by no means an alcoholic (even though for some reason my mom thinks I am), but I do enjoy a casual glass of wine (sometimes) multiple times a week.
Yann and I ate by the window and watched as night fell over Arras and the Place des Heros lit up. We finished up our “dinner” and walked some of the calories off making our way back to the car.
What was an already enchanting city became even more so at night time. It was beautiful when all the lights came on.
We reached the car and drove the 35 mins back to Yann’s home in Annoeullin.
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Spending the day visiting Arras and it’s surrounding areas was wonderful. I learned a lot and discovered places I hadn’t known about.
I’d love to visit Arras again and spend more time there, possibly staying in one of the beautiful buildings overlooking the square and learning more about the culture and history there.
Until next time, stay blessed ♡
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We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.
– Jawaharial Nehru
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Want to find out a little more about Arras? Check out this post!
