Lille

Ok, one thing about European trains….comfortable, wide coverage…and cryptic tickets. Unless I’m missing something, an intermediate stop is not always shown on the monitor, and nor are transfers. Thankfully, Google Maps Transit layer helps a lot!

The northern France town of Lille….

 

Another nice AirBnb, except no prep knives, no cutting board, a single coffee pod, and LOTS of floor dust. But tons of hot water, and a perfect location.

Another foodie tour….cheeses washed in beer are nice, even though I’m not a beer guy. One of the cheeses had a very pockmarked rind…..from mites. Yikes….but they don’t reach the cheese inside. 

Some really nice hummus/guac and beignets. 

Gravlax and coconut cream. This was quite nice!

One of the other guests was allergic to seafood, so she had an amazing carpaccio with slices of beef tongue. Her friend was Mexican, and loved the lengua. Me too!

Clarification: the other two women on the tour made the fatal mistake of having a large steak lunch around three hours prior. Suffice it to say, they donated most of their samples to the nordic skier in the crowd!

Really nice kitchen operation. 

Fries with beef stew…..and the pub starting playing ‘Nightshift’ by the Commodores. Five stars on all. 

In honor of a favorite movie, I had to order The Thunder. 

Les Grossman approves….and supposedly has a movie of his own in the works!

Next morning in the Basilica Plaza, some nutcase doing resistance work. Passers-by were quite amused. 

The post-workout baguette didn’t survive long. 

Oh my ever loving GOD…..

Went back and bought some cheese from that first shop. Went nicely with the bread. 

One more tour….loved the ‘stache. 

A welsh version of Croque….fancy name for a grilled ham and cheese. 

No…just no. 

Car tours with style. 

I succumbed. 

Cool vintage store that charges by the kilo. 

I was successful in walking away for once. 

Last day here…decided to jump a train for Belgium. Roubaix is the ending of a very famous cycling race that covers around 150km, and 20 percent or so over some very nasty pavé (cobbles). The French have a sense of humor, for sure. 

Back in the day, young pup Greg Lemond relocated his family to the town of Kortrijk as a central base to grow his cycling career. He did okay, if memory serves…three Tour de France wins. 

The city of Ghent…big universities, lot of sights, and canals. 

A $4 walking tour sounded about right. 

500 chocolate shops in town, and Belgian fries with Flemish beef stew. Incredibly good. 

Valencia’s crest includes a bat….Ghent has a dragon…..Navy (and Bill the Goat) have nothing on these folks. 

Anyone heard of this madness? It’s basically a hollandaise with sugar and brandy. An after-dinner drink or spread, I’m not sure. But jeez it’s incredibly yummy. The name derives from ‘advokatenborrel,’ or ‘The drink that lubricates the throat of a lawyer.’

Some quick pad thai before hustling back to the train. 

Saw this in Maastricht as well, on the sidewalks….the Nazis kept records of who was abducted when and where. Just sobering. 

After that, I needed a drink. 

Lovely town, this Lille. Very walkable, and trains in every direction.