After breakfast we headed to the Belfry of the Town Hall. A lift takes you within 40 steps of the top and the views are amazing. It was quite a clear day today so we could see all the way across Arras.
When I was researching what to do in Arras, besides La Carrière Wellington, I was really excited to discover that while the Carriage museum at Versailles is closed for renovation the exhibition is temporarily on display at Musee des Beaux Arts in Arras. This museum is housed in a beautiful old Abbey.
It was great to see the carriages after spending the day at Versailles. I particularly liked the sleds and could imagine them being used in the gardens in the winter.
At the end they had a great video which explained the advancements in carriage making including suspension and the crane's neck which allowed carriages to turn sharper corners.
We had a look around the rest of the museum too. We pretty much had the place to ourselves which was a nice change from the museums and monuments. Their collections were very impressive and included Brueghel's Census at Bethlehem which Edward particularly enjoyed. I found some pink and white china, dresses and clocks that I thought were stunning.
This afternoon we walked around the town and looked in some shops. Ed bought a graphic novel in French so it looks like we've got some studying to do to translate it. We found a patisserie selling macarons so of course we had to purchase a selection to sample!
Today's our last day in France for a couple of weeks. Tomorrow we take the TGV back to Paris and then fly to Madrid.
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