Lovely Lille

Arras, France

Following our time in Versailles, we headed north towards Lille. En route we stopped in a small town called Arras (where we were able to visit Vimy Ridge). Our time in Arras was fairly uneventful, but I’d be remiss not to mention the stunning buildings of the town square. Nearly three-quarters of the town was destroyed during WWI and had to be rebuilt. The facades of the main square are heavily influenced by Baroque & Flemish-style architecture.

We spent one afternoon enjoying a beer on one of the many patios that line the square. During that time, we witnessed (no joke) four separate weddings emerging from the cathedral! With a city as beautiful as Arras, it makes the perfect backdrop for such an event.

Lille, France

From Arras we headed north to Lille. Lille is the fifth most populated city in France and is located right near the northern tip of France just a few kilometres from the Belgian border. We arrived mid-afternoon in the city and spent our day wandering the many streets and admiring the buildings. We visited the Natural History Museum and were amazed/freaked out by the number of birds on display. It had the makings of a remake of that classic Alfred Hitchcock film!

To pass the time until we were to meet up with our CouchSurfing host, we did something we really enjoy doing in other countries – go to the movies!! There’s always those few minutes before the film starts when you’re questioning whether or not you bought tickets to the dubbed movie, or the English movie with subtitles. Mac and I both breathed a sigh of relief when we heard (and understood!) the voices of the Avengers coming through the speakers. (Side note: the new Avengers movie was great!!)

Lille Walking Tour

The next day we spent the afternoon doing another favourite activity of ours in foreign cities – a walking tour with a local guide! Mac & I met up with Nicolas at 2pm and we were the only two people to show up, so we got a private tour! Nicolas was a fantastic guide and we learned so much! The tour started at the Porte de Paris which is said to be the gateway to the city. It was rebuilt in the late 1600’s to commemorate Louis XIV’s victories. The many statues that are featured on the monument represent war, strength, and victory.

Walking through the gate we continued to City Hall and the Belfry – a 104m (400+ step) tower that overlooks the entire city.

Our next stop was to Eglise Saint-Maurice – a Gothic-style Catholic Church. Although this church took almost four centuries to completely finish, it managed to survive the bombings and fires from the 1792 Austrian siege and World Wars that managed to destroy almost every other building in the city. If there’s two things we took away from this tour, it’s that buildings in Lille took a long time to complete, and they were usually destroyed by fire.

La Grand Place (aka Place du General duGaulle aka The Main Square) is at the heart of the city. The Goddess monument and statue in the centre pay tribute to Lille’s unwillingness to surrender in the 1792 siege. The Main Square is surrounded by vividly-coloured facades and wonderfully designed buildings.

One such building is far more eye-catching than the rest: Vieille Bourse. Literally translated, that means Old Stock Exchange. The Vieille Bourse was formerly the centre of the Chamber of Commerce of Lille in 1651. The building is square, with an open inner courtyard. Eventually the city outgrew this building and a new chamber of commerce was build adjacent to Vieille Bourse. Meanwhile, this beautiful building was converted into 24 identical apartments. They are now occupied by businesses and the courtyard is home to booksellers and the occasional tango lesson in the summer. This building has undergone several phases of restoration. During one such period local businesses that donated funds had their logos incorporated into the upper windows to commemorate their support.

Another interesting feature of this building is seen from the opposite side of the Main Square. Here, many ‘cannonballs’ are included in the facade. These serve as a reminder of (can you guess???) the 1792 siege. If you look closely, you may notice one cannonball is pink…and has a nipple. This was done by a business owner in the building that ran a lingerie shop! How’s that for marketing?! The business has since changed but the breast remains – not that anyone is complaining!

Directly across from Vieille Bourse is Lille’s Opera House. Construction for this building started before the first war. (The first opera house in Lille burned down.) Eventually the Germans invaded and used this semi-completed building for their own use. It was finally inaugurated in 1923 following four years of German occupation. It now stands as one of the most impressive buildings in the city. Right beside the Opera is the new stock exchange. Though you wouldn’t think so, these two buildings were actually designed by the same architect – Louis Marie Cordonnier.

Continuing through the charming cobblestoned streets of lovely Lille, we ended up in La Vieux Lille (aka Old Town). The buildings in this area of the city (after having been destroyed by fire) maintain their Flemish- and Spanish-style influences (the Spanish influences are seen in the red & gold/yellow colours on the facades).

La Vieux Lille is one of two locations in the city where you can find Aux Merveilleux de Fred – a must-go for anyone in Lille with a sweet tooth. Pastry chef Frederic Vaucamps created one of the most renown treats in the region – Aux Merveilleux. This sweet dessert has a meringue base which is covered with chocolate whipped butter cream and coated with chocolate shavings. The result is a delectably delicious  rich, yet light dessert.

Through the old streets of La Vieux Lille, you will stumble on the Notre Dame cathedral. It’s best to see this cathedral starting from the back and working you way to the front entrance. This building took 144 years to finish (keeping in tune with Lille’s reputation). As you can imagine, funds for the project ran out during construction and new ideas (and architects!) had to be introduced. The back of the cathedral is what you’d expect – Gothic style, intricate carvings, impressive stone work, etc. The front of the building is where it gets interesting. I won’t say the Notre Dame in Lille is the biggest eye-sore, but it might be close.

At first glance, the off-white paneling secured by crisscrossing wires, sandwiched between two very drab concrete facades doesn’t leave the best first impression. But, once you go inside, you’ll see there’s a reason to the madness. The off-white tiles are actually marble and are so thin that they can’t be supported by their own weight – hence the need for the wires. The thin panels allow light to seep through creating a mesmerising effect from inside. It’s still not my favourite building, but it’s definitely a memorable one!

The last interesting place we visited in Lille was the Citadel. Honestly, I had no clue what a citadel was before we arrived (and to be frank, I still don’t), but a huge green space filled with trails in the middle of the city was enough to convince me to go! The Citadel in Lille is actually a present day NATO military base. Access is limited, but we were able to go right up to the gate!

Outside the main hexagonal structure, trails weave in and out (and around) this area. There are also waterways which surround the Citadel (making it near-impossible to capture…in the 1600’s when Louis XIV ordered its construction). Mac and I enjoyed being surrounded by nature in this big city. Speaking of nature, while taking a break on a bench, we witnessed a majestic heron fly by us, swoop down into the water, and fly away with a fish in it’s beak!!

If you’re in Lille, I’d highly recommend the Lille Free Tour. We learned so much about this previously-unknown-to-us city (as can be seen in this seemingly never-ending blog post!) . There is so much history and culture in Lille making it a perfect weekend destination from a trip to Paris!

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