Mulled Wine and Fog in Arras

It was a foggy, foggy day in northern France, but that didn’t stop crowds of us from heading to the Christmas market in Arras.

The large squares in the centre of Arras are unbelievably beautiful. Arras was part of the Spanish Netherlands for many years, which helps to explain the Flemish-Baroque architecture of the 155 townhouses surrounding the two squares.

Originally made of wood, they were reconstructed in brick after extensive damage during World War I when Arras was only 10 kilometres from the front.

The Marché de Noël occupied one of the squares and was jam-packed with people. There were young soldiers cradling machine guns on the perimeter and we went through a security check before entering the square, but people didn’t let that bother them.

This was the biggest Christmas market that I’d been to and there were way more booths and way more food, much of it with a regional focus – sandwiches from Alsace, mulled wine with prunes from Anjou, and even maple syrup from Canada.

There were also a variety of craft booths – lots of Petrushka dolls, Christmas toques, and nativity scenes.

The cabins had elaborate displays on their roofs.

There was an assortment of rides and a skating rink in the centre of the square.

I headed straight for the mulled wine – it was a very cool, damp day! But I refused to try the Pipi de Renne (reindeer) or the Pipi de Vieille Fille (old maid)! There were churros, waffles, sauerkraut, hot dogs, rissoles, and so much more to munch on.

Christmas markets are such a fun, festive time for families and young people. It’s a shame we don’t have them in Canada.