The hotel was established in 1462 as a hospice and uninterrupted it welcomed old sick people until 1995! The building had to close down as a hospice as it was considered unsafe at that time for the purposes of a hospice. Fortunately it became a project of the region to convert the hospice into a hotel and in 2003 that dream was fulfilled. I was very impressed with how they have converted the building into a hotel and we have enjoyed our stay in this lovely place with so much history.
Below: inside the hotel, the courtyard is closed, hence I had to take the photo's through
the window, so sorry for the reflection!
Lille is the capital of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region and nicknamed Capitale de Flandres. It only became part of France in 1668 under the reign of Louis XIV. When you drive around in the area, it is quite confusing, as the names of various places in the north of France and in Belgium have both French and Flemish names. And believe, me, if you know the one name, it is quite confusing to suddenly see another name on a road sign!
Like many other cities, Lille didn't escape the world wars. But they have an interesting tale - during WWI they have tricked the Germans to believe that they have a lot of artillery, where in reality they only had one canon! Despite that the Germans bombarded more than 2 200 buildings and once they have realised that they have been tricked, they've burnt down an entire section of the town!
We've spent the day wandering around, admiring the buildings that is far more the style that you'll find in Belgium than in France - and so much more colourful than in our region. Even the people were more friendly and I could hear a bit of Flemish spoken.
But this is really ch'ti country. It is a regional language, related to French. An hilarious French movie from 2008 dealt with the people from the north of France and the ch'ti culture and language (and misperceptions other French people have about the north). It was a record in France's box office for a French movie, attracting more than 20 million spectators. I happened to see the dvd and sure, it gives you a good laugh! Unfortunately it is one of those movies that you just cannot translate, you will loose too much of it - so you'll have to sharpen up your French to watch Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis. The same producer brought out another movie from that region last year, translated meaning 'nothing to declare' (about doing away with border posts in Europe). Still hilarious, although most people, me including, prefered the first movie.
Like in the Wallonie, they cook the chicken and beef in beer here, called carbonade flamande. The meat is so soft and tasty, you'll have to try it if ever you visit the area. A famous cheese from this area is maroilles, quite a strong cheese, but you'll find it on all the menus, combined with different food. Strong, but delicious (easier to manage than the munster...). Despite us having booked a restaurant with a show for the evening, we couldn't resist the carbonade, so I was just hoping I'll manage with the 3-course meal in the evening (believe me, SA restaurants are ripping you off on French cuisine - you never have to search a KFC afterwards...).
Above: a building that hosts the regional newspaper
Below: the tower of the chamber of commerce sticking out - you might remember that I've said in the Oporto blog that their city hall followed the towers in this region. And in front, the narrow yellow building with the red sign on top is where we had our carbonade. The restaurant is on 3 storeys, with waiters and customers all using the same narrow staircase. It is situated on La Grand'Place, like the building above. The square is Lille's biggest and most important. There used to be a market in the middle ages.
An old monastery and you can see the narrow winding streets in the old part of the city. The cobblestones hurt your feet - by late afternoon our feet protested too much, so we've returned to the hotel to recover before walking to the dinner.
The citadelle of Lille, another of Vauban's creations
Above: inside the old stock exchange, that day there was a brocante, a market with differnt old and second hand things
Below, the opera building next to the bellfry building that hosts the chamber of commerce
The old stock exchange on the outside.
Our evening was a delightful show of a man and woman singing a range of French songs while we were served a three-course dinner. When you enter the restaurant, you go down with the staircase, filled with photographs of famous old French singers, to enter the restaurant that looked like a vaulted cave. It turned out that the owner lived in Reims for a long time, working in the champagne trade. One thing that still astonish me is how many young people know old French songs - meaning that they know it so well, they know the words and sing along. We were not a lot of people that evening (although the owner ensured us he had a busy Feb ahead), but it included a couple with their children celebrating the mom's birthday. And I couldn't help wondering how many children (teenage - young adults) in SA will go and celebrate their mom's birthday if the entertainment comprises old songs...
The next day we've tried to go to the famous flee market of Lille, but couldn't find parking anywhere close, so gave up and went to Le Palais des Beaux-Arts. It is one of the biggest museums in France (and also one of the first). To our delight we've heard upon entrance it is the one day per month when entrance is free, we don't have to pay! We've spent much longer than planned, but it was so interesting with so much to see. And even the building is to admire.
Wat'n pragtige hotel! Ek dink ons moet ook hiernatoe gaan as ons kom kuier!
ReplyDeleteMaar jy moet ophou praat oor kos in jou blogs, ek is elke doodhonger as ek klaar gelees het!!!Al die kosse klink so interessant en so anders as in SA.