Ghent to Arras

It was one of those odd restless nights for me even though there was no reason for it. Comfortable bed and a nice room, and no noisy neighbours and yet my old friend, insomnia haunted me all night. So it is a weary start to the day. It is nothing a fabulous breakfast cannot fix though and the B+B delivers in spades. We asked for an early breakfast as we have a train to catch, and when we go downstairs the table is lavishly set and there is a rich spread of freshly made muesli, fruit, nuts, yoghurt, breads and hot meals prepared on request. Suitably fortified, we take our leave of Ghent and make the short walk to the station.

We're able to decipher the train departure information more confidently now but it is still a nervous wait, while we question at least three railway employees, before we feel sure we're on the right train to Lille-Flandres. And finally, Belgium gets left behind as we cross the border into France. 

We have a one-hour layover at Lille-Flandres before our next train so we find a seat in the main hall to wait. It is a bit of a shock to the system arriving in France as there is a heavy armed presence. Having not seen as much as a uniformed policeman in Belgium, it is confronting to see so many police and army personnel patrolling the station while clutching some seriously intense-looking firearms.

Happily the regional train to Arras only takes half an hour and soon we arrive at what will be our last stop on this holiday. We don't quite know what to expect as the tour company in Sydney which has booked our upcoming Battlefields Tour made a last-minute change to our hotel booking in Arras. We only found out a week ago that we are now staying at the Mercure... Having not been very enamoured with the Novotel in Bruges a couple nights ago, we're not too sure what we'll find with the next rung down on the Accor ladder...

 

Our anxieties are unfounded however. The Mercure Centre Gare is a 5-minute walk from the station and has only just been refurbished in the last couple of months. Everything is fabulously new and modern ... our room has a black ceiling and walls (unusual?!) but there is funky mood lighting and it is all pristine and comfortable. And bless! Real tea cups and teaspoons!

Having been confined to train seats all morning, we have a rest and then venture out into the town. Arras has much the same feel as many other cities in France that we have visited - narrow pavements, lots of concrete and not much greenery. But then the vista opens out into the Place des Heros (Heroes Square). Like Bruges and Ghent, it is all cobblestones with  Baroque-style townhouses standing sentry on all sides. At one end is the Arras Belfry - so characteristic of this part of the world. We go inside hoping to take the elevator to the top but we are told the Belfry is closed to visitors as the lift is out of order... 

Our third belfry... this time in Arras

Not deterred, we grab a map instead and go on our own self-guided walking tour of the town. Next to Heroes Square is an even larger square, La Grand'Place, used for markets and festivals... or car parking as is the case today. We discover that Arras was located inside the zone rouge (red zone) - an area that was utterly destroyed after WWI. The French government defined the area after the war as being: 

"completely devastated. Damage to properties: 100%. Damage to Agriculture: 100%. Impossible to clean. Human life impossible". 

At the far corner of La Grand'Place is a baroque townhouse that looks like all the others... and yet it is the oldest house in Arras - the only original house left standing after the war. Everything else in this town: the 17th and 18th century houses, the gothic town hall and belfry.... everything else had to be rebuilt. It is a remarkable testament to the people of this town (and as we will discover tomorrow, this entire region) that they had the courage and perseverance to resurrect their homes.

Place des Heros

We also walk through the Cathedral, where there is a wedding taking place... not unusual for a Saturday afternoon I guess. Then past the Beguinage and Arts quarter where we are overtaken by a convoy of cars speeding past with horns blaring. It is the wedding party on their way to the hotel we were originally going to be staying at... so we are quite relieved to have been moved as one suspects the party will go well into the night. 

After yesterday's warm sunshine in Ghent, we feel quite chilled from the cool and overcast afternoon. So we wend our way back to the hotel and treat ourselves to a nice dinner in the hotel's restaurant. Tomorrow will be a long day so we retreat to our room and battle the TV to try and find something/anything that hasn't been dubbed into French.