Central Plaza -- Arras, France
I'd had it in mind to see this famous sight in France for over a decade. It's quite far from Paris, up in Pas-de-Calais, but you can get there from Paris by SNCF commuter train -- I think it's the last stop on that line. About 225 km, if I remember correctly. So, it's not close to Paris but it's not really difficult at all to get to from the capital city.
The central plaza in Arras has been judged to be France's most beautiful central plaza, and there's at least one like this adjacent. It's quite overwhelming, but in a good way. The architecture did not look typical French to me at all -- it hinted at Belgium. I found the city area I walked through quite tidy and every little fixture on the street seemed to have been custom-designed for effectiveness and eye-appeal. (I'm thinking of the guard rails around some stairs in a large, well-organized central parking area, and the sidewalk gutter cover grills.) L'Hôtel de Ville (city hall) here is more elegant than many important Gothic cathedrals, and at first, I thought it was one. Instead of the place being dead-quiet on a Sunday afternoon, as so much of France is on Sundays, a lot of places were open and busy. Restaurants, cafés, bars, tobacconists and news vendors, bakeries, pastry shops and tea rooms for ice cream seemed to be doing well. This region is known for terrific beers (many of them Belgian) and the excellent Calvados, a strong liquor which packs a punch and is often used in regional dishes.
I looked for, and eventually found, L'Abbaye Saint-Vaast, where Le Musée des Beaux Arts d'Arras is situated. The abbey is the largest conglomeration of Classical-styled edifices in France, if I got that right. It was founded in the 7th c. and added to with Gothic and other styles. If you go, looking for 22, rue Paul Doumer, where the entrance is via one of the three courts of honor, I hope you don't mind taking a wrong turn and having to walk around the whole thing -- Saint-Vaast is vast and I found it tiring! (It is, in fact, just off this beautiful plaza, rue Paul Doumer is, but again, I took a wrong turn.)
I liked the graceful curves on the tops of the buildings, and the decorative motifs, which were often stone garlands of fruit and flowers -- some in a u-shape, others in an inverted u-shape. I saw a gîte (furnished place) for rent with a small sign on it -- apparently it can easily house at least 4 people. Staying in a furnished flat or house for at least a few days is a fun way to get to know a place a bit better. If you are careful, it can also be very economical.
I'd been to Lille to see their huge modern art museum in the morning, and had packed a small picnic lunch. The entire afternoon was spent enjoying what I saw of the city. It was ravaged during WWI, unfortunately, which caused near-total devastation and great loss of life. Reminders of the Great War are still very present in France (as are still-live bombs, which sometimes turn up) and in the North particularly, you can feel the sadness and suffering, almost. I found Arras serious but not heavy, however. The weather was grey and there had been a bit of sparse rain earlier, but it was a very pleasant 15 degrees C and on the first Sunday of each month, heritage days (journées du patrimoine) many places throughout France which normally charge admission are free. This was just such a Sunday.
I played a game with myself: if I could have any house/building on this lovely plaza, which would I choose? Answer: any of them!
copyright 2014 Lisa B. Falour, B.S., M.B.A.
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