What I love the most about northern France is that it's a hidden gem that has yet to be discovered by the rest of the world. Lille has all of the charm and beauty of Paris, minus the hordes of tourists.
Only 10 minutes away from the Belgian border, Lille is adorned with an elegant mix of both French and Belgian architecture. Not to mention, northern France boasts the best of both French and Belgian cuisine. I shamelessly feasted upon French cheeses, wines and omelets as well as Belgian chocolates and frites all weekend long. Talk about the best of both worlds. Quand on est à Lille, on mange comme les lillois!
Despite their bad reputation, I've always found French people to be quite friendly - and the people of Lille are by far the most amicable. I love practicing my French whenever I can (although I'm still pretty terrible), but whenever I'm in Paris and I initiate a conversation in French, Parisians automatically respond to me in English. However, in Lille my broken French was met with a smile. They listened patiently and spoke to me slowly, further inspiring me to keep continue learning French.
We spent our time in Lille wandering through the quaint cobblestone streets, admiring all of the charming buildings, snacking on macarons, drinking café au lait while people watching, and eating a sublime mix of French and Belgian food. I loved that there wasn't an overwhelming list of sightseeing to-dos, and there wasn't a tourist in sight. I felt as if I could freely enjoy the culture of France without stressing about squeezing everything in. During a season of many hectic travels, Lille was truly a breath of fresh air.
Looks gorgeous! I love that you said you've always found the French to be pretty friendly, and that's how I've always felt too. I speak a lot of French in Paris when we're there every year and they are always so helpful and friendly towards us. I think the French get misunderstood a lot! Though I happen to love France, so I may be biased :)
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more, they definitely are misunderstood. (Especially by Americans who know nothing about them except the negative stereotypes.) In my experience, all it takes is a little bit of effort to speak their language - even if you're truly horrible at speaking French - and they're as friendly as can be!
DeleteI'm originally from the south of france but I've never actually been to Lille. I know, crazy... Now that I live in England though I'm just a quick eurostar trip away so I should make an effort. Your photos are gorgeous! x
ReplyDeleteThank you! And I definitely recommend visiting - Lille has such a unique and charming personality :) Definitely worth a quick trip!
Delete*SWOOON* This place looks so precious and gorgeous....and delicious!!
ReplyDeleteTrust me, it was! All I wanted to do was eat!!
DeleteYUM! I know you love France.. so what do you know about Lyon? I plan to head there in May!
ReplyDeleteI actually don't know anything about Lyon, other than I've always wanted to go! I'm totally jealous. Smuggle me onto your carry-on!
DeleteThe architecture and the FOOD both look incredible! And I love that people there let you practice your French - I too have always found that the toughest part of trying to get better at a foreign language in Europe is so many people just wanting to speak back to you in English!
ReplyDeleteIt's so true! Even living in Madrid, so many people instinctively respond to me in English and I just want to say, "C'mon guys! I moved here so I could improve!! Just talk to me in Spanish already!" Pretty frustrating.
Delete