Liveable Lille + Ghent

We have moved quickly on from our Barcelona trip to our next adventure through France and Germany. Starting early on Saturday morning we board the Eurostar to Lille in France arriving an hour and a half later.

Our first impressions of Lille are positive with a mid-morning walk from Lille Europe train station to our hotel taking us through a few back streets instead of the main streets. Good old Google Maps taking the most direct route instead of the scenic path.

We store our bags at the hotel and head out to gather an understanding of the place. The city is definitely one of parts. Part shopping, part commercial, part old city, part parks and lots of varying architecture all combining to make it a liveable place.

We make our way through the old section of the city past stunning buildings and open squares where the vibe is upbeat and the sun is shining on this, the first day of Spring. Grand Place is a collection of shopping, restaurant and bars that start opening around 11am and trade through until the wee hours of the morning. Today it is teeming with crowds enjoying the sunshine. It’s hard work trying to take photos when there are crowds so we went back in the evening and the next morning when the crowds were at the smallest.

There are some surprises to take a look at as Cathedral Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille is certainly not the prettiest church we have seen. Its external finish on the front wall looks strange from the outside as it’s a modern addition to an old church however you need to head inside towards the end of the day to see the effect and make sense of the facade. The translucent material makes a statement of its own.

Walking along the canal and parks near Citadelle de Lille provides the balance between city and suburban outlooks. The canal walkway is an easy stroll and provides us some time to work on our “London Tans”. With winter coming to an end, we are both looking pasty white and in need of vitamin D.

Ghent

A side trip to Ghent was a surprise package. Hopping off the train places you in an area that has been redeveloped over time and lost its architectural soul. But less than thirty minutes of walking later, you arrive in the heart of the old town area. What a contrast! The buildings are magnificent with an ancient castle and spires of buildings around it all reaching for the sky, every direction you look. It’s as if there was a race to see who could build the tallest building in the area.