Best Western Hotel L Univers Arras

... else trying to find out if they're British as well (hey, that's me!), and look quite defensive when somebody else sits next to them (hey, that's me as well!). They then get out an English book and try to look very superior because they speak another language. (I do that sometimes.)<br>A lot of French people, particularly early in the morning, sit down and close their eyes and somehow magically wake up when it's their stop and run off the train. I don't know how they can do that ...

... The museum is, of course, in a old swimming pool, and sculptures decorate the sides of the basin which is still in tact, the shower cubicles and changing rooms hold other works such as textiles and painting, and the rest of the building is dedicated to incredible art. Every so often sounds of children enjoying a swimming pool are played, which is actually a bit creepy! I enjoyed it much more than the Musée des Beaux Artes in Lille.<br><br>One ...

... we stumbled upon a circus tent and after enquiring, bought tickets for the next showing. The Citadelle also holds the city's zoo, which is huge and also free, so while waiting to go to the circus we took a wander through the zoo. While cooing over all of the animals we stopped to sing "compare the meerkat . com" to the meerkats, before realising that a British couple were standing next to us!<br><br>The circus was incredible, despite some cruel ...

... at various buildings. All were very interesting and each professor incorporated their own concepts/ideas with each building. This became a more integrated approach to us learning our architecture. The next day we traveled to Amiens, to look at another Notre Dame Cathedral. A little different then the last, but still very impressive. Amiens was a nice little town, it houses a main university in France so it was awesome to get to see how other students in Europe ...

... more at home. We spent the Friday evening unpacking, moving furniture and making the place more homely and by the time we went to bed we were much happier about our new home!<br>That evening we also met some other English language assistants who are staying in the same "Résidence" and discovered that there are actually quite a lot of us!<br>The following day we took a trip to the closest Carrefour supermarket, which is just across the road in Euralille, a huge shopping centre which we ...

... the place we wanted to be. We thus changed plans again and went to Arras (the town near Vimy Ridge). Again we had arrived late and the cost to rent a car was the same as renting a taxi so we went on our own. Not receiving a good map we ended up following a guy from a gas station to Vimy Ridge. This place is actually put on by the Canadian government, so entrance and a tour was all free.<br><br>The tour took us to the Canadian front line ...

... and British fought. It was 1st July 1916 - the First Day of the Somme. I got to walk over part of the battlefield in this area - where 20,000 men were killed in the first 2 hours of that day. The artillery went over to the German 1st Line Trenches; but they were so well dug into the hillside chalk that little of their MG's were knocked out. 2 minutes after the guns ceased firing - the Hun was back manning his ...

Have arrived in Arras. Don't know if its' my imagination or not, but there is a different feel here in Flanders vs Normandy. Will be visiting the Vimy memorial and the pipers' memorial to-morrow. Stopped in Dieppe to-day and dippeed my Essex Scottish cap badge in the ...

... Ji&#345;í Kovanda, who has an exhibition called Pink Carpet at the Museum of Contemporary Art, which I see the next day. This is a very jovial group and we work our way through a number of bottles of wine and finish with a nightcap of the Spanish equivalent of grappa).<br>The next morning, after my breakfast of hot chocolate and churros I visit the Mercado de Abasto, the local market. It's only a week to Christmas and it's interesting to see what's available ...

... was clearly influenced by the Flemish, with their typical angular tiered roofs, and being so close to Flanders, it made perfect sense. There were a few people laying out their products for the town market which was what we really came to see. According to David, provincial French markets were the best, and although I hadn't really seen any yet, I had a feeling he was right. We stopped for a quick ...