Hello!
I have been away for quite a while now and I am sincerely sorry for this! The fact of the matter is, I haven't experienced anything quite so inspiring in the recent weeks. Nevertheless, what I would like to share with you today is my experience of visiting Lille about half a year ago, which was definitely full of nice surprises ...
It started off at Charleroi, where Boštjan and I spent a night before heading off to Lille. We stayed at some french-born Algerian with a great taste and a knack for buying great pieces at scrap prices either from garage sales in the neighbourhood or from places he travels to. Or maybe it is not so much the pieces themselves rather than his talent for putting them together in a unique way so that they create a rich and aesthetic decor. One gets the idea that every single piece is exactly where it should be! Apart from being his home, this narrow terraced house functions as a hostel, but also just a pleasant place to hang out - the owner said he even has some middle-aged ladies coming there to knit and chat and have a coffee or a beer from his refrigerator. Here are some photos to give you an idea:
I have been away for quite a while now and I am sincerely sorry for this! The fact of the matter is, I haven't experienced anything quite so inspiring in the recent weeks. Nevertheless, what I would like to share with you today is my experience of visiting Lille about half a year ago, which was definitely full of nice surprises ...
It started off at Charleroi, where Boštjan and I spent a night before heading off to Lille. We stayed at some french-born Algerian with a great taste and a knack for buying great pieces at scrap prices either from garage sales in the neighbourhood or from places he travels to. Or maybe it is not so much the pieces themselves rather than his talent for putting them together in a unique way so that they create a rich and aesthetic decor. One gets the idea that every single piece is exactly where it should be! Apart from being his home, this narrow terraced house functions as a hostel, but also just a pleasant place to hang out - the owner said he even has some middle-aged ladies coming there to knit and chat and have a coffee or a beer from his refrigerator. Here are some photos to give you an idea:
What I particularly like about the decor is the great attention that has been given to details ... they definitely make a difference!
Anyway, back to Lille. For the geographically challenged, Lille is at the north of France and is dubbed "Capitale des Flandres" - or, the Flemish capital. Which explains its dutchy character. Just look at the gowns on these cyclers here:
Now, do these look Dutch or French to you? Look at those clogs! Yet another proof how national borders are wholly man-made, artificial and politically construed notions! The "traditional" dishes are somewhat on the flemish side, too, but we did not get too lucky in that department, so no photos of traditional dishes :(. We did hower treat ourselves to some oysters in a specialized oyster restaurant or " huîtrerie ". Here's Boštjan posing with some oysters:
The oysters were super fresh and served on ice. We realised why oysters are considered an aphrodisiac - they are really refreshing and envigorating when eaten like this.
Some other random photos we took while strolling around the centre:
Some other random photos we took while strolling around the centre:
There is a huge star-shaped park just in the vicinity of the city centre which includes a zoo with a free entry.
We also visited a really nice museum called "La Piscine", where I took a LOT of photos, but I will write more about that in part II of the trip to Lille :)))
Happy Monday everyone! ;-)
Maruša
Happy Monday everyone! ;-)
Maruša