Our First Visitors!

It was such a treat to have Bruce and Pat spend a week with us as our first visitors in Arras! We stuck close to home, enjoyed many “apéros” and delicious meals, and explored some nearby memorial sites including Vimy Ridge, Beaumont-Hamel, Wellington Quarry, Maison Blanche, and Neuville-St Vaast.

Around Arras

We had so much fun having company for the first time in our new home here in Arras. There’s something about having family where you are that makes it seem more real, and we were happy to have Bruce and Pat as the first family to touchdown in France. Not only were they great company, they also brought us large quantities of maple syrup, TUMS, and chili flakes! (A random assortment, yes, but of immeasurable value.)

We rented a car for the week and picked them up at the Paris (CDG) airport on Sunday morning. It’s only about a 1.5 hour drive from our place, or 48 minutes if you take the high-speed train. Having a car for the week made it super easy to get around and visit places a little beyond walking distance. Luckily for us, though, our home is downtown and easily walkable to most of the city’s main attractions. Here are just a few of the things we did around home:

– Spent an afternoon people-watching and having a glass of wine on a terrasse in the Place des Heros.
– Explored around the Wednesday morning market and bought some delicious fresh cheese, meat, and veggies.
– Walked through the Notre Dame Cathedral d’Arras and the Musee des Beaux Arts.
– Ate delicious wood-fired pizza and homemade pasta at Vidocq, a family-owned restaurant in the heart of Arras (highly recommended)!
– Dined in truly French style at l’Anagram, with three-course meals that included escargot, bone marrow, oysters, veal, duck,  and more.
– Enjoyed many early evening “apéros” in our back yard, and many great conversations around the dinner table.

Wellington Quarry (Carriere Wellington)

Arras has a rich history of involvement and action in both WWI and WWII. It was a hub of activity especially during the First World War, during which it was extensively bombed. As part of the plan for the Battle of Arras, New Zealand tunneling experts were deployed to transform the pre-existing chalk quarries into a navigable tunnel system along the German front. 

The four of us decided to visit the memorial and and tour the well-preserved tunnels. A large concrete wall lines the entrance into the visitor centre. On the outside, facing a simple yet peaceful garden area, the wall is printed with the names of each batallion that participated in the Battle of Arras, including many Canadian batallions. Along the inside of the wall, a photo display commemorates many soldiers from a variety of trades and cultures.

We purchased tickets for a tunnel tour, and then spent about half an hour exploring the exhibit in the visitor’s centre while we waited for it to start. The exhibit was simple yet effective, with cased displays of the items typically worn and carried by French, German, and Commonwealth soldiers. There were also informational panels describing the city of Arras before and during the war, with vivid photos of the immense damage caused by bombing and fires.

The tour itself was excellent. We each donned our hard-hats and a set of headphones, and descended by elevator 20 metres below ground. We were in a group of about 20 people, and our tour guide did a good job delivering the informaiton in both French and English. I enjoyed the multimedia elements of the tour, with our headsets feeding us pre-recorded information along the way. That was interspersed with multiple short video projections, and of course the spoken info from our guide. I was pleasantly surprised at how large and high the tunnels were, a nice bonus for someone who is fairly claustrophobic. However, I am sure they didn’t feel so spacious when filled with 8,000 men and all the sights, sounds, and smells of war.

Learn more about the Wellington Quarry.

We spent an afternoon visiting two of the nearby military cemeteries. Bruce was specifically interested in checking out the Germany cemetery, as it was important to him to pay respects to all who fought, regardless of nationality. I was happy to play chauffeur for the day, and to visit the Maison Blanche and Notre Dame de Lorette cemeteries for the first time as well.

Maison Blanche German Cemetery in Neuville Saint-Vaast

The Maison Blanche cemetery is the largest German cemetery in France, with almost 45,000 graves. I was surprised to learn that this graveyard is home to the bodies of many German soldiers who were previously buried in other small gravesites and communities, and then brought together into one final resting place.

There is certainly less fanfare and decor surrounding this cemetery for the enemy, however it is very serene and respectful. The crosses are laid out in neat rows as far as you can see, stretching across a flat field with many mature trees, and a few planted in recent commemoration. The central paved pathway was lined with a really interesting photo exhibit showing the daily lives of those involved in the Great War.

I was specifically moved by the simplicity of the grey cross, with four names engraved on each one, two on the front and two on the back. Four bodies per grave. A different curved headstone marked with the Star of David was placed beside each Jewish name.

Learn more about the Maison Blanche cemetery.

Notre Dame de Lorette French Cemetery

We found our way through winding French country roads to the hilltop town of Notre Dame de Lorette. The vistas from the top were beautiful, and I can see why it was an important high point to control. My legs were weak just thinking about trying to trek up the steep hillside.

In stark contrast to the simplicity of the German cemetery, this French cemetery is lavish with features. A large basilica stands central, and if you get the chance to visit, don’t miss the opportunity to visit the inside. I was not expecting the amazing wash of color, provided by intricately tiled mosaics along each wall and the entire ceiling. It reminded me of the Basilica in Lisieux that Ocel and I visited last month.

The large ossuary and Lantern Tower contains the remains of over 6,000 soldiers, including the ashes from those who met their end in concentration camps. Altogether, this is the final resting place for over 40,000 soldiers, making it the largest French Military cemetery in the world.

Learn more about Notre Dame de Lorette.

Ring of Remembrance – International Memorial

Across from the cemetery is a fairly new and certainly modern memorial that was inaugurated in 2014, on the 100th anniversary of beginning of WWI. It is a massive ring that is fairly bland from the outside, but not without intrigue. You enter by a spiral walkway that passes through a small tunnel before opening into the grand ring. I was stunned when I saw what it contained, because from the outside the walls are too high to peer over or get any kind of glimpse of what lies within.

I think I was most taken with the simplicity of the repetitve bronze tiles, each engraved with hundreds of names front and back. The panels are printed in alphabetical order, giving no preference to rank or nationality. Just looking at one panel indicates the sheer amount of names, and then you glance beyond and around to see the massive ring, encircled by the names of 580,000 soldiers who died in the North of France.

We wandered around the entire ring. It is suspended on the far side, with the slope of the ground below exposing a space where the ring seems to hover above. There were newly planted patchwork gardens at the back, and lookout windows cut into the wall at various intervals.

Learn more about the Ring of Remembrance.

Adorable beaver detail on the base of the flapoles in front of the monument.

The Canadian Vimy Memorial, featuring the Vimy Ridge Monument, and a trench and tunnel tour.

Ocel is the Visitor Experience Manager for European Operations, which includes the two main sites that have visitor centres and a full staff; The Canadian Vimy Memorial, and the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial. (There are also nine other Canadian WWI memorials in France.) We spent a lovely afternoon visiting the monument and surrounding historic site at Vimy Ridge. I don’t think I will ever tire of seeing the beautiful monument. Each time I visit, I notice another detail carved into the stone, which was intricately designed by Walter Seymour Allward in the 1920’s.

The memorial grounds are spacious, providing many vantage points from which to view and appreciate the 110 meter sculpture. One of the highlights of this particular visit was our guided tour of the preserved tunnel system beneath the battlefields. A must-do if you get a chance to visit!

Our guide, Sally, was incredibly knowledgeable about the whole site, the history of the battle and grounds, and provided an amazing experience walking through the tunnels. It is a free tour that takes about 30 minutes, and is available to everyone! Just head into the visitor centre where a friendly guide will greet you and get you set up for the next tour.

Unlike the spacious Wellington Quarry, these tunnels were much more compact, forcing us to duck in places. I can only image what it would have been like during war time, without the reinforced and slightly widened tunnels that have been well preserved. At one point, Sally turned off the modern lighting system to show us how dark it would have been. Yikes. In that short moment we certainly felt even more of a massive appreciation for what those soliders did.  And for us! The tour only covers a small portion of the tunnel system, but you can get an idea of just how expansive they were by staring down seemingly never-ending dark passageways, one of which has been maintained exactly how it was.  Eerie, yet enlightening.

Learn more about the Canadian Vimy Memorial.

The iconic caribou atop the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial.

Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial

Our home in Arras is situated between Vimy and Beaumont-Hamel (BH), about a 15 minute drive to Vimy and 45 minutes to BH. Both are in the Hauts-de-France region, with Vimy in the department of Pas-de-Calais and BH in the department of The Somme. (Here is a great map of France for any geography enthusiasts!)

While the memorial at BH is smaller than Vimy, it is no less impactful. The sheer number of Newfoundland soldiers who fought and died within such a small footprint is overwhelming. The site does an excellent job at honoring them, their stories, and their legacy. Of course the iconic caribou atop the hilled monument is the star, but there are also some preserved trenches you can walk through, and a well-curated exhibit in the visitor centre. Again, I fully recommend taking a guided tour, offered by one of the friendly and informative Canadian students.

Since I had taken the tour on my previous visit, I opted to further explore the grounds while Bruce and Pat went with the guide. They had wonderful feedback about their tour, and especially their knowledgeable and personable guide. It really does enrich the experience to have someone set the scene and fill in the gaps you may not already know. I remember being surprised and dismayed at the unforunate circumstances of the battle, marred by miscommunication and unfavorable landscape. The human element of war is palpable at BH, especially gazing over the area of the Front, where the majority of the casualties occurred. 

If you’re in France and plan to see Vimy, I strongly encourage you to make time for Beaumont-Hamel as well. Learn more about Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial.

Who’s Coming to Visit Next?

What an awesome week! We were able to visit many memorials, cathedrals, cemeteries, and monuments. Perhaps next time we will branch out beyond war history to something a little more platable, like a vineyard visit, a champagne house tour, or a cheese tasting. Who’s with me?