France > City Walk through Lille

Just before nine o’clock we enter the hotel’s breakfast room. How will it work here? There is no breakfast buffet. We are warmly welcomed. On the tables, trays are already set out with bread rolls, jam, and fruit. We can sit down at a set table. Only the chilled food items (cheese, butter, and yoghurt) can be taken from the buffet. Coffee and orange juice are served to us. A perfect solution to avoid a lot of walking around in the breakfast area. It’s just as well we arrived just before nine o’clock. Right after us, many guests come in for breakfast. A spot is found for everyone. After breakfast, we take the luggage to the car in the parking garage. The parking garage is adjacent to the station. At the Gare de Lille-Flandres station, our city walk through the town also begins. The first railway line in 1867 was the connection between Paris and Lille. The rail link was a success. Today, Lille’s station is an important departure point for many trains. From the station, we follow the city walk description. We arrive at Euralille — a large, modern shopping centre designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. On Sundays, the centre is closed.

France - Mosaic in Lilles new HSL station

On the other side lies another station, a relatively new one for the high-speed Thalys train. Inside the station is a huge wall painting, dozens of metres high, featuring a collection of all the world’s famous buildings. A nice decorative touch for the station. Via Matisse Park, we arrive at the Porte de Roubaix. Like the Porte de Paris, this gate was part of the city walls. Within the city, we reach Place du Théâtre square. The tower of the new stock exchange building stands out. The Belfry Tower is built in neo-Flemish style. In Rue de la Monnaie, right next to the Hospice Comtesse, pastéis de nata are displayed in the window according to a Portuguese recipe. We quickly order two. Through a narrow street, we reach the cathedral. Behind the cathedral lies the narrowest house in the city. The yellow house, just one metre wide, is said to still be inhabited. Through a green strip between the buildings, we come to the Palais Rihour. This former palace from 1454 was largely destroyed by earlier fires.

France - The old houses at Place Louise de Bettignies

The current palace houses the Tourist Information. In the south, we arrive at Rue de la République. On this square stands the Préfecture (police headquarters) on the right and the Palace of Fine Arts on the left. After the Louvre in Paris, this museum is the second largest in France. Inside hang paintings by important Flemish masters. The palace dates back to 1869. We leave the museum for what it is and continue our route to the Porte de Paris and the belfry of the town hall. Around two o’clock, we are back at Place du Général de Gaulle. We can say we’ve seen all of Lille’s sights with our walking tour. On a terrace, we order a variation on the croque monsieur and something to drink. We then return to the parking garage. From the hotel, we had been told to report to the garage reception for a special hotel rate. We can’t find the reception. It turns out to be on the exact opposite side of the garage. No one is present. A sign in French hangs there. We think it tells us to press the bell.

France - The theater was temporarily built but got a permanent use

Fortunately, the operator also speaks English. “Where are you?” asks the voice from the loudspeaker. “At the reception!” We think we understand him to say: “Get your car and press the button at the exit barrier.” Moments later, we are in the car at the barrier and press the button again. We are already recognised. “I’ll open the gate for you,” the voice says kindly. The barrier lifts, and we can drive out of the garage. We haven’t paid anywhere, though. This probably wasn’t quite the intention, but we can’t be too bothered by it. We head back to the Netherlands. Just as on the way there, traffic slows a bit near Ghent and Antwerp. Upon entering the Netherlands, the expected arrival time on the navigation suddenly jumps up. Could something have happened? We soon find out that it’s better to take the A15 under Rotterdam. This now saves us twenty minutes. On the radio, we hear that an accident near Rotterdam is causing major delays. We’ve managed to avoid it. We arrive home safely from a successful city trip.