lille

Lillie is a city of 230,000 people in the northeast of France, along the border of Belgium.  It was warm, sunny, and beautiful the day we arrived.  Katie and I were so relieved to have our trip behind us, but it was definitely weird to suddenly be in France!  Such is the nature of traveling by plane.

We weren’t sure if we would have phone service once we left Japan, in fact we were pretty sure we would not.  So we planned to meet Katie’s friend near a particular restaurant in city center at 6 p.m.  Right before we left Japan I put my old Verizon phone card back in my phone and it seemed to be working, but just in case.

Katie and I left the busy bus station area and walked to a square where people were hanging out.  It felt normal to me but strange to Katie to be back where there were places to sit and all types of people around.  We found a place that had burritos and relaxed with our backpacks on the ground.  Even my first cup of coffee at a place in the bus stop was better than any I had had in months.  We reminded each other that Europe is infamous for pickpockets, so we had to watch our bags and purses with our money (still in yen) and most importantly, our passports.

Lille was everything I love about Europe.  As Todd described it once in Lyon, France–even their dirt looks better.  The buildings are old with classic European shapes and statuary.  People moved about in a more relaxed way than in Japan.  There were spaces to sit, with fountains and benches.

Like the other places I had been in Europe, there are stunning cathedrals and they are always open.  You can wander in to appreciate the church, the art, pray, or rest and no one bothers you.

I had forgotten that there are frequently people sitting on the street asking for money.  They don’t bother you if you walk by, but no one does this in Japan.  In the entrance to the churches, there were frequently women with a child, or in one case a baby, holding a cup, “Madame…madame…”

I also forgot that finding a restroom in Europe is often difficult.  And forget heated toilet seats–here, you have to pay.  We found one in the bus stop for 90 euros–about a dollar.

While we were relaxing in the main square by the fountain, Katie saw her friend coming across the way.  It was so amazing to see a friendly face and really made Katie feel better!

Now we were able to put our stuff in his small Honda Civic, parked below us in an underground parking garage.  As you looked down the row of small cars, there was a tiny light that was red overhead if there was a car, or green if a space was empty–no need to roam the aisles looking for a parking space here.

The 3 of us set out to explore Lille.  Like other Europeans cities, there were more churches, each magnificent.

Katie had been here before, so together they showed me an old building that still had cannonballs embedded in the side.  Her friend explained this was from various fighting within Europe in the 1700’s. 

Each cathedral is unique.  This one looked like it was under construction in a way, but it wasn’t.  Katie explained it looked more like churches in the Netherlands. 

Inside it was magnificent and ornate.

Then they showed me that the front wall, so solid looking from outside, was marble that light could show through.  The door that looked like solid metal was actually painted glass.

We stopped at a pastry shop whose specialty is this light, creamy globe of filling on a meringue.  

We walked through what was formerly the stock exchange building, but had been transformed into an area selling used books and souvenirs.  People were milling about and some were playing chess.  

In 30 minutes we were at Katie’s friend’s condo in Valenciennes, a very small city which he called ugly but I thought was nice.  The condo is on the 4th floor with a balcony overlooking trees and grass.  Though it had been a long 40 hours, we relaxed and had the most delicious cheese with tomatoes and a frozen pizza that tasted homemade. We enjoyed some Belgian beer and capped the evening off with our pastries, which were light and fluffy. 

It was the middle of the night in Japan and soon Katie and I were both beyond tired.  The condo is equipped with electronic shades that close all the light out and soon we were deeply asleep in France.  

Photo:  City Center, Lille, France