Day 2 Arras, France

Carriere Wellington Memorial
Vimy Ridge

     We all went to bed quite early last night. I think I was asleep at 7:00 p.m. and slept for 10 hours solid. Needless to say, we were all up quite early after an early night and a good sleep. We left the apartment quite early so we could go find Maximilien Robespierre's house. We had seen his grandparents house the night before and had read that he had lived in Arras before going to Versailles before the French Revolution. The house wasn't open because we were there early. Apparently there is not much to see inside anyway so we just took a few pictures of the outside.

     We had heard about some underground quarries in Arras that had been used to prepare for the Battle of Arras (which Vimy Ridge was a part of) in WWI so we decided to check them out. There was a whole network of underground tunnels. They were also used to protect townspeople during WW2 bombardments. Much of the memorial is dedicated to the New Zealanders who had been responsible for much of the preparation for the tunnels in WWI. There were 26, 000 people in the town of Arras at the time and 24, 000 Commonwealth soldiers ended up living underground while preparing for the Battle of Arras. We took an elevator down 20 metres and went on a guided tour. They showed us areas where the soldiers ate, slept, prepared, and eventually a staircase where they went up to join the battle. It was pretty cool, I hadn't heard about it before.

     After the tour we stopped by the grocery store to pick up lunch fixings. Always a new adventure shopping in different countries. We are finding much less English being spoken here so we are getting by with pointing, gestures, and our really bad French. I tried to buy tomatoes but apparently you have to weigh them yourself before coming to the checkout which I did not know. So, no tomatoes but we did get a really nice baguette, meat, and some cheese. The bread here is unreal. So many different choices and really cheap. Last time we came to France we only went to Paris. Visiting a smaller centre has felt much more French. The visions you have of the fromagerie, boulangierie, pattiserie, and cafe culture are all thriving here in Arras. It is the cutest little town with numerous little streets and shops.

     After lunch our hotel called us a taxi, actually it was more of a driving service. They were much more reasonable than a taxi and we arranged for them to take us to and from Vimy Ridge. Vimy  is only about 10 km. from Arras through some really quaint countryside. We passed several cemeteries on the way. Quite appropriate to be visiting Vimy on Canada Day. Ironically, they said it is one of the slower days because there is a commemorative service at the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial that draws a lot of people. We were just in time for the tunnel and trench tour which was pretty cool. Then we were free to wander the site. I had seen pictures but they didn't really do it justice. It was quite beautiful and overwhelming in a way. The monument is amazing and very big. After the monument we took a look at some of the cemeteries on the site. Our driver had told us that the Canadian cemeteries have flowers around the graves but they don't do that for the French or German graves because there are so many. Apparently the Canadian government pays for the flowers. The cemeteries are immaculate, extremely well cared for.

     On our way back from Vimy our driver stopped at one last memorial. This one was the site of the Christmas Day Truce soccer game. Pretty cool since I often talk about it with my students. We also got to see a huge French cemetery with the simple crosses.

     We came back to the hotel and had a little rest then headed out to the square for dinner. We found a nice outdoor patio in the sun and enjoyed a beverage and some dinner. Tomorrow we will have a leisurely morning before catching the train at 1:20 to Bayeux. Well, I am going to have a shower, read my book, and get some sleep!