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Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille

Palais des Beaux-Arts is Lille’s main art museum. It’s housed in an impressive 19th-century monument with interesting design touches. Napoleon, um, encouraged the museum’s initial collection by obtaining the pieces from churches and other monument throughout Europe. An assortment of art is here: 15th-20th century European paintings, prints and drawings, antiquities, 17th- and 18th-century ceramics…

Lille, France

Lille is a 2.5-hour drive from our house, yet until now my husband and I continually passed it up for its more glitzy neighbors: gustatory Brussels, the sparking Champagne region, picturesque Brugges. It doesn’t help that Lille is not really known for anything, except its people, called Ch’tis by the rest of France. The Lillois…

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Le Lion Bossu

When my husband and I travel together, we spend a lot of time searching for food. Sometimes we’re trying to find a specific place someone recommended, other times we want the perfect reservation, but most of the time we’re wandering and seeing what looks good. When we wander, most of the meals are okay to…

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Aux Merveilleux

Watching this pastry chef create Lillois treat Aux Merveilleux made my mouth water. Aux Merveilleux, a native of northern France and Flanders, are meringue (strong on the outside and undercooked on the inside) and buttercream sandwiches, encased in a layer of buttercream. They come in three varieties: the Classic chocolate, the Incroyable speculoos and white…

Le Mariage

Few things are more French than a hearty protest or strike and the latest social issue, same-sex marriage and adoption rights, has roused people to the winter streets. After the disgusting anti-gay marriage demonstration in Paris last weekend, I was glad to see a pro-gay rights parade here in Lille, ridiculous cold weather be damned!