Love Lille (1)

So many things to love about our trip to Lille. It's a handsome city. The buildings are elegant, some are very grand. There are cobbled streets, huge old doors, shutters, and large, bustling squares lined with cafes and bars. Our hotel was central and just right for my friend Tracey and I . Inside it was simple and clean, furnished with just a few antiques, and some beautiful old floral oil paintings. 

We walked a lot. There are streets of modern shops, and then Vieux Lille, the old town. So much to see. So many cafes to sample, although we did keep coming back to Le Pain Quotidien, with its beautiful home baked bread, and sensational salads. We adopted this as our official canteen....breakfast was particularly scrumptious with free range eggs, and lots of fruity conserves and nut butters to try.

A bowl of coffee to start the day....essential.

We didn't hire one of these, the equivalent of 'Boris bikes' but it was tempting (except that both Tracey and I have a bonkers sense of direction, so it could have ended badly...). I hadn't realised quite how close to Belgium Lille is, and there was definitely a Flemish influence in the buildings. 

The weather was very similar to the UK, sunshine and showers, so you had to grab your moment to sit outside. But we did it, and very nice it felt, too, watching the world go by. Saturday was busy, busy, busy, with everyone out and about. But on Sundays, shops actually close and the crowds disappear. We walked to a huge market, Wazemmes, which is full of food, flowers, fruit, clothes, bags and just a very little tiny stretch of flea market, too. I think we'd hoped for a bit more of that, but actually, it's amazing what you can find when you poke around. I'll be back here tomorrow with lots more about that and details of a few small purchases that came home with me. x