A little Lille, France

Alexander Calder sculpture outside Museum of Modern Art

So you've visited Paris; you've mastered a few French words; and, you think that you're ready for a real French adventure away from the tourist crowds? Then, you're in luck. You only need to travel about an hour outside of Paris to get away from the international crowds and helpful English speakers. Your adventure starts in Lille, France.

Delicious mussels marinier with house wine

My adventure in Lille started with a long, convoluted walk around a Lille park in order to find some late lunch. When we finally arrived at a restaurant (with people dining inside), through signs and halting French, we were told that dinner was over. "Cafe?" We walked on for better luck but eventually had to turn around to go back to a main road. We passed the restaurant again, attempted another question session with a different employee and learned that the restaurant doesn't serve food from 2 pm until 6 pm. We settled for coffee to fortify ourselves until we could find something more substantial. We continued our walk and arrived in a residential neighborhood. Two women were outside painting their shutters. We stopped and asked about a restaurant or super market and were met with blank stares. Finally, though, they understood we were looking for food and pointed us up the road. After a few hundred meters more, we came upon the most welcoming of all sights, a super market! From here, the day got better. We brought our food treasures to the sculpture garden just outside an art museum and picnicked in front of an Alexander Calder sculpture. After a long walk home, our evening became even better when our French speaker was home from work and could translate for dinner. Mussels and house wine hit the spot!

Plat du jour at L'Avenue, near the Lille Zoo

Day two in Lille, we braved the metro in order to visit a small, free zoo. But, by the time we finally made it there (~12:30 pm), I was already starving and didn't want to risk the previous day's lunch finding escapade. I stopped at the next cafe we walked past, sat down and asked for a menu. The server brought out their chalkboard with the "plat du jour" -- two salads, two entrees and two desserts. When your options are duck or fish, there's not much time needed for decision making. I choose the duck and enjoyed the lunch splurge (14 Euros).

Red panda at the Lille Zoo

After a satisfying lunch, I was ready to deal with groups of screaming kids in the small, free zoo. The enclosures were small for the birds, monkeys, rhinos and other animals. It was short walk through the zoo. Then, it was time for a crepe snack break.

Lille Cathedral

Afterwards, we wandered around old Lille. The cathedral in Lille is named "Notre Dame de la Treille". Begun in 1854, the latest renovations were completed in 2009. There is a jarring contrast between the modern and gothic portions of the cathedral. However, it is free to walk through; and, the mosaics and stained glass in the older portion are quite beautiful.

Caramel apple crepe with vanilla ice cream

Our day ended with another dinner eating, guess what? Crepes! We had both savory and sweet crepes tonight; and, we washed them all down with some delicious cider from the Breton region of France. It was a perfect way to end my stay in Lille!