Lille

The last three days of my vacation were spent in the northern city of Lille. It seemed like such a random city to visit and we were asked on several occasions why we were there. Apparently, not many Americans visit Lille so we were treated with a lot of enthusiasm and graciousness! We were asked on several occasion if we were British (and on one occasion German). Northern France is known for its hospitality and friendliness and I can now vouch for this! C'est vrai! Every one we met was incredibly nice.

We were fortunate enough to get in contact with a local guy who took us out at night and gave us tips on what do to in the city. I don't think our trip would have been the same without him and his local knowledge. He introduced us to several of his friends and we ended up having a great time! I think without the guidance of a local, Lille isn't all that great of a city if you go on vacation. There are some museums but other than that, I'd say there's not much to do if you're not in the loop.

The first day we went to La Piscine (The Swimming Pool). It's an old pool converted into a museum. They had some interesting pieces of art and is definitely worth checking out if you're ever in the north. That night our newly found friend took us to a bar to enjoy some live music (one band played traditional music of the north - very cool and cultural!).

On day two we ate at the Restaurant Universitaire for 2,85euros (its similar to the university restaurant in Montpellier - a lot of food for less than 3euros) and took a guided tour of the city. Honestly, the tour wasn't worth the price. We didn't see anything incredibly exciting and I'd say it was too long (2 and half hours of walking!). That night we went to the Palais des Beaux-Arts, a huge museum. They were having a nocturnal exhibition, free for students. Students from the college of architecture showed off their unique chair designs and we saw a "concert" from John Cage. Actually, this was a concert de silence...He sat at a piano and didn't play for 4 minutes and 33 seconds....Very strange. I guess it was what some would call l'ART.

On day three we walked around La Citadelle and the zoo. There were two red pandas (the cutest animals ever)! For dinner we ate faluche with regional cheese and drank beer at an awesome restaurant which was recommended to us by a man at our hostel. While the south of France is known for its wine, northern France is known for its beer. Try a kriek (cherry flavored beer from Belgium), its amazing! The name of the place is La Pate à Sel - go there, I highly recommend it. After dinner we went to quiz night at a bar with some locals and ended up having an great night out.

My friend and I bought Lille t-shirts and we shall wear them proudly!