For those seeking the French experience for a few days we found Lille to be a good choice. It is neither so large as to be impersonal nor so small as to lack facilities. It is but two hours by Eurostar from London to Gare Lille Europe. The Metro station is nearby and provides a fast service to much of the town. It also connects to the comfortable overground tram service.
Lille had its early beginnings in 1030 as a little town surrounding the castle of Buc. It suffered hostilities during the 13th and 14th centuries having been destroyed, rebuilt, besieged and retaken. By the end of the 14th century the town came under the jurisdiction of the Duke of Burgundy and prospered until 1667 when it was besieged by the French in war with Spain. Further reversals occurred in the 20th century but now it is a peaceful and prosperous town
We made an early visit to the tourist office by Gare Rihour for maps and services. It is open from 9.30 until 6.30 PM except Sundays and Bank holidays when it closes at 5 PM. The Lille Métropole City Pass, which includes day tickets for the metro, tram and bus services, costs 18 euros for one day, 30 euros for two days and 45 euros for three days. The Pass provides entrance to some 32 tourist sites and reduced admission to theaters. To make the purchase worthwhile be sure that at least two are open on the days you travel. Alternatively a one day travel pass costs 3.50 euros. Minibus tours of the city (included in the pass) leave outside the tourist office on the hour. A two hour guided tour of the Old City leaves at 2.30 PM on Saturdays.
The Palais des Beaux Arts is a short walk away. It is near the station of that name, and is considered the second most important Fine Arts Museum in France, after the Louvre. It is a nineteenth century building with extensive galleries containing an impressive array of paintings. Artists include Rubens, Goya and Van Dyck amongst many others. A large collection of 17th and 18th century ceramics from many European countries is housed in the basement. A further gallery is devoted to 19th century French sculpture. An unusual feature is the set of 18th century models of the countryside during various phases of the town's development.
We relaxed at a cafe in the nearby pedestrian precinct. It was welcome after touring the museum. It is the place to watch the world go by. If the cafes are full then the restaurants will serve you coffee except at lunchtime.
From the Citadel it is a short walk to the river. We had to wait for the riverboat tour, which was included in our City pass and so visited the nearby zoo, admission was free. The boat, which started from the lock, did not arrive until a few minutes before the advertised time. The hour-long tour takes you past the zoo and on to the Canal de la Deûle where commercial shipping still operates.
The Conservatoire de Lille by Rue Colos is opposite the Palais de Justice. In consideration of the public providing an audience, recitals by the students are free. The program of events is posted on the notice board; it may be necessary to book a ticket for popular events. We were lucky to attend a free concert given by the Conservatoire at the Theater Sébastopol in Rue Solférino. It was evidently an occasion to give students practical experience. It was a popular occasion, justified by the very high standard of the orchestra.
On the other side of the Palais de Justice is The Musée de l'Hospice Comtesse. It was formerly a hospital founded in 1237 by Jeanne de Constantinople. It now displays work by Flemish, Dutch and French artists.
The shopping precinct by the station has more than 140 boutiques, restaurants and snack bars, and a hypermarket, but in old Lille we found little courtyards, vaulted cellars and terrace cafes. The Flemish town houses in pink brick and white stone are home to many famous names in haute couture and fashion.
There are numerous restaurants offering food of every nationality. The excellent guide to restaurants, bars and discothèques is free from the tourist office. We went on an offer, by a national newspaper in conjunction with Eurostar, which included a selection of hotels.
Copyright Derrick Grover
A selection of photographs of Lille can be found at: http://www.trv.demon.co.uk/plil.htm
Further topics and photographs at: http://www.travoto.com
Derrick Grover has travelled extensively. His experiences of backpacking round the world in the 1960's have given way to the more comfortable modes of travel reflected in his various published articles. He is also an experienced photographer and supplies high quality images to support his writing. He has had 39 photographs published to date. Panoramic photographs are produced by meshing several standard photographs together.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Derrick_Grover
No comments:
Post a Comment