We traveled from Brussels to Lille, then Lille to Paris. We had a layover of about 5 hours in Lille. It was our fist stop in France. Here is my first observation in France: When we stepped off the train, an announcement was made over the loudspeaker. It was preceded by a chime followed by a woman’s voice singing “bah-do-bah-do”. It was really hip and poppy. It made me think of fashion and style. This tone precedes every announcement made in a France train station.
In Lille we had nowhere to store our packs, so we carried them through the city. We took a break in a public square. I went to a shop on the corner and ordered “un pain chocolate” (chocolate bread) and “un baguette” (long skinny bread). We ate while observing the locals.
Lille 013
Next, we found the tourism office, then visited Palais des Beaux Arts de Lille (The Fine Arts Museum of Lille). We saw incredible sculpture and paintings. My favorites include La Naissance de Vénus by Amaury Duval and La Chute des Damnés by Dirk Bouts.
PBAL 27 - my favorite
After the museum, we sat down for a couple biéres (Stella Artois) at a corner café, then went back to the train station.
It is off to Paris on the TGV (high-speed). It was incredible how fast we were going. The countryside just whipped by, yet it was peaceful and calm inside the cabin. What a way to travel.
Click here to view all our photos from Lille.
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