Lille and Bruges

Oh my— time has gotten away from me again! I have been composing several posts in my mind, but haven’t had time to write anything down for a few weeks. We have been so busy, but were able to get away to Lille, France a couple weeks ago for our last trip of 2014.

Lille is in the far northeast corner of France and is only about three hours away from Cologne by car. We spent a long weekend there and also took a day trip to Bruges, Belgium. Lille definitely had a much different feel than Paris and was unique in it’s own “small provincial town” sort of way. Bruges was also really interesting compared to Brussels (Dutch-speaking vs. Francophone) and was really beautiful.

Most of our time in Lille was spent strolling through the cobblestone streets and window shopping in all of the stores. We also visited the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille, where half of the church's façade has been renovated into a more modern style.

Streets of Lille

Original side of Lille Cathedral

Renovated side of Cathedral

In Bruges, we took tons of photos along the canals and listened to the town's 700 year old bell tower. Will was delighted to find some of his favorite Belgian Grimbergen beer, which is served in a rather ornate chalice. 

Bruges Town Square

Belfort

Bruges Canals

On a side note--this trip to France was totally different for me language-wise than before. While there in the summer, I was able to use French, but this time I felt like German had taken over my brain. I could understand everything that people were saying to me, but I just couldn't wrack my brain fast enough to come up with a response. Often when I did try to say something back, it was half-French, half-German. I guess all these German classes are paying off!