After a long and truly eventful previous day in our saga, tour members were glad and relieved to hear the beautiful words from our lord and saviour (Mr Croft's) mouth; "You can sleep in for as long as you want tomorrow." Sleep was welcomed by all, and everyone seemed to be fully replenished for the morning to come.
Today began as a mishmash of people doing whatever in the world they wanted, with the exception of course of transmutation (because it's not really physically possible and it might not be accepted by society), and shopping because absolutely no shops were open. Some students left the hotel in search of open shops, instructed to return by 12, but all returned earlier due to their failed attempts in buying the goodies they all so desired. It was, however, the afternoon that brought the most fun to the travellers. This was the beginning of what could be a new tour tradition - "The Amazing Arras".
Now, this wasn't just any regular Arras. This was practically gospel as far as Arras' go. Maybe one group *cough cough* Kelsey, Nat and Olivia's group *cough cough*, who got lost at least two times, did not believe in the blessed Arras. After a hearty two hour quest and many complaints about the clues given; In particular the clue about Notting Hill Coffee shop, that, apparently, shares its name with some obscure Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts film, James' group managed to complain to Mr Heptinstall that the shop couldn't be found whilst standing in front of the actual shop. Finally, "The Gruelling Arras" was over and all groups congregated in front of the town hall. Points were given and taken off (for some frankly silly reasons) and in the end, in first place was Georgia, Jarrod, Liam, Mason and Georgie-Rose with a grand total of 21 (9+10) points. And in last place was, of course, Kelsey's brigade with a grand total of 5. With "The Amazing Arras" over, some of the tourists retired to the hotel while the rest of us entered into the extraordinarily exquisite town hall.
Now, as a tour, we had seen town halls, cathedrals, mosques and mausoleums in many cities, we were practically architectural connoisseurs by the time we entered this building, not to be easily impressed. But, golly gosh. This was one town hall. Yet again, we were taken aback by the intricacy and detail put into every aspect of the upper floor rooms. There were wooden panels on the walls that, at a glance, looked the same, but if you got a little closer you noticed that EVERY SINGLE PANEL ON EVERY SINGLE WALL WAS UNIQUE. This may seem a little silly to emphasise, but it was extremely impressive. After visiting the rooms on the upper floor, and marvelling at the handiwork, we ventured down stairs, and more stairs, and even more stairs...
The stairs took us to an underground quarry, that at times took us about 15m below ground level. This was troublesome for some of our taller crew, as the tunnels and passageways were often carved with a maximum arch of about 4 feet high. Great for Brianna, not so great for James. Anyway, we ventured through the tunnels, heads brushing on the 'roof grass', learning about the interesting underground past of the town. There were names carved on the walls from the First World War, and the little cellar rooms had been used for all sorts of things like chalk mining, food storage, bomb shelters, water collection and China disposal. Our guide did an excellent job of translating her usually French tour into English, and many thanks go to her for her efforts. We followed our underground tour with another extreme - we caught the lift, then travelled up some more stairs, reaching the top of the clock tower. The view of Arras was admired by all, and was a beautiful end to our tour. The rest of the group then retired to the hotel to prepare for dinner.
Our last formal dinner was quite a happy affair, with each table sharing laughs and nice food from a buffet and a grill. Olivia managed to create fortified walls that challenged those of medieval castles, but this time made out of at least thirty bottles of drink that she consumed throughout the night. A brilliant effort there. The night ended with some emotional thank you speeches, and the feeling of closure spread throughout the tour. Tomorrow we make the long journey back to Australia... Well, that's if we manage to close our suitcases in time!
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