la ville de lille

for the last eight years, s has spent at least some part of november outside the uk, and it has turned into a tradition for him. luckily, he has graciously agreed to let me in on the fun. last year we went to belgium.* this year it was lille, france.





lille was the closest "abroad" place we could reach by train, about two hours from london waterloo on the eurostar - just one more great thing about living in europe. lille is near the belgian border, so it has a lovely flemish/french feel to it.



however, this year they are doing a "bombay" promotion throughout the city, and the main street is lined with giant elephant statues. fab!



compare this pic with the daytime view above:




usually i forget to take pictures of the places where i stay, but i liked the styling of the art deco romarin.





i also thought the poster on the wall was quite appropriate given our luxuriously indulgent morning lie-ins.




but we also spent a considerable amount of time goofing off - er, exploring the city and all it has to offer.











we even found a space invaders mosaic, appropriately set next to a street sign for rue d'angleterre. acechick knows what i mean... this one's for you, p.




we enjoyed late lunch at le pain quotidien so much that we went back for breakfast the next day. so decadent for a place called "daily bread"!














but the absolute best fun was renting segways and riding around the citadelle.









it takes some time to get your balance right, but what a terrific way to get around town. i highly recommend trying it for yourself.


we had a great weekend and will most likely be back someday (if for no other reason than that i showed extraordinary restraint and did not indulge in a yarn shopping spree...but who knows how long this will power will last?)


* incidentally, that was my first bcuk blog. happy blogiversary to me!