Flemings - Mayfair - London

This is in the ladies at Flemings

A friend and I recently celebrated a milestone by having an afternoon tea at Flemings Mayfair, London.

I had seen an offer in Emerald Street and had decided to check out their recommendation. Having checked my friend avails, I booked a table for 2.30pm a Saturday 3 weeks in advance. Given the location of Flemings, it seem to be a very busy place to go for an afternoon tea.

Sandrine and I work in a homeless day centre once a month and that day was our turn. We had decided to make it a lazy day and hang out in Mayfair after the shift, then, have the afternoon tea. After our shift we changed into our day frocks, flat smart shoes on with our heels in the bag just in case the portier at Flemings was sniffy and uptight.

Having walked the length of Piccadilly and stopped from time to time to check out some small galleries and shopping arcades along the way, we arrived at a semi-derelict street… double checking and surprised that such a street was located in Mayfair… Looked a bit like a part of Croydon or Tooting to me if you asked. But, yes we were in the right street, Half Moon Street… To my right, we had Flemings to my left we had a Hilton hotel this street from afar looks like a cul-de-sac closed by a beautiful church edifice which was built between 1908 and 1911… This church is in fact on Curzon street…Must go have a tour of that church the inside must be as fascinating at the outside.

Arriving at the Flemings, the portier was very welcoming and our flat shoes were suitable and elegant enough to fit right in. The entrance on Half-moon Street is also the entrance to the hotel…and there were few arriving and departing guests in this reception area which, although well decorated was starved of the beautiful daylight that we had been enjoying so far. There wasn’t enough artificial light either to show off the dramatic details of the decoration.

Upon reporting to the reception, we were send downstairs to the tea rooms just below this beautiful Pendant ceiling chandelier from which, yellow lights reflected on the golden rimmed mirrors gave an added impression of luxury to this hidden side of the reception.

The tea room was the same décor as the reception area, dramatic in some sides and way too busy on other sides, the abundance of mirrors in this room lacking of daylight helped to reflect the few points of light darted in this room full of contrary lines.

The Maître D was very welcoming, accommodating and sat us despite the fact that we arrived earlier than our booking. We were served within 10 minutes, the sandwiches and mini cake came another 10 minutes after that…

I am not a sweet tooth person so, I very much liked the sandwich selection and especially the rye sandwich… The scones were too dry almost biscuitty, I hate cupcakes and was not impressed with the macaroons. To sum it, the only thing I enjoyed in terms of food was the sandwich selection and the Rooibos tea. My companion on the other hand had a field day, but did not like the scones either.

The offer on Emerald Street was “afternoon tea for 2 for £25”.  I would have paid more for the ambiance which, is very favorable for friends relaxing during a lazy afternoon. Flemings is a good venue to chill. The staff is welcoming and visible at all time. I’d definitely recommend it, more for the atmosphere and proximity rather than the munching in my opinion. The best afternoon tea I ever had was at Harvey Nichols at £40 per person and I have not found a match yet.

I did check out the ladies at Flemings. The deco was different and did not reflect the restaurant at all… the only quirk was the statue which made me smile.

I hope that you will hop into Flemings for a drink or an afternoon tea. I will mark it 7/10 but, don’t take my word for it, try it yourself.

As we continued our aimless wanderings, we found a little gem of a bookshop on Curzon Street, Heywood Hill were we spent more than an hour… book lovers MUST check it out. Then we said hello to the statue of Churchy below!

I love London!

Ciao!

Holiday Inn Woking - Meetings venue

If you are looking for a meeting venue in Woking, this is the one … Holiday inn Woking. I have recently organised a small afternoon tea for 50 there and I must say, this is one venue in which I would be glad to return.

From the first contact the staff was very accommodating and really helpful. The venue is situated about 10 minutes’ walk from Woking train station and is literally 2 minutes from the pedestrian shopping area.

The main entrance of the hotel isn’t impressive from the street … The main doors are almost in the back yard of a multi storey car park… a bit of a weird set up. But once in the hotel the visitor is almost taken aback with the decoration and colours… This interior is almost out of place compared to the outside environs… I couldn’t really take pictures as I may have had to explain why, but you can see the photos gallery here. The meetings area is at the end of a corridor directly opposite the reception desk… but before getting there the visitor walks pas, this beautiful, relaxed and colourful café-bar where the meeting attendees can stop and have a drink before attending their function. My understanding is that locals also often stop by for a bite to eat… If you live in the area, I recommend to stop by and just enjoy the atmosphere; have a coffee and a piece of cake.

Continuing in the corridor, the visitor enters the meetings area where the colours are mostly black & grey, with a great variety of textures form mat to gloss, from leather to velvet… a lot of black & with photo frames and just one set of 3 red paintings subtlety placed near the ladies…. Great touch and great result. The loos do not let us down as, contrary to the outside (literally) everything in here is just whites and silvers with a tastefully placed bouquet of fake red roses…

Our meeting room just reflects the corridors, and ideal for a late winter’s afternoon event.

As for the catering, again, the hotel doesn’t let us down and offers us a great selection of (very rich) mini tartelettes… including my preferred one filled with frangipane and almond flakes.

Many people who attended the events were locals who had never been in the hotel and were all very impressed with the venue… and the cakes of course. I am convinced that after our event, many local retirees will make the most of this little haven in the heart of Woking.

I just wish the night stay was cheaper enough for me to try out the accommodation and other guests’ services.

The whole event is inexpensive and I think that the venue, given its location and standard could have gotten way with charging me the double of the cost… I guess Holiday Inn Woking makes more money from the overpriced accommodations…

I certainly recommend it for meetings from 3 to 70 attendees. 

If you have stayed overnight at this Hotel, please tell me about it! DM by email at  

See you soon!

Croydon Park Hotel - The restaurant

Hotel's own photo

There is something silently reassuring to know that a town that you love so much has a hang out where you can go with friends and visitors from other towns to have a drink, or a meal.

The Croydon Park hotel has such facilities. I have visited the hotel many times before for conferences and meetings but had not had the time to seat and take in the décors and customers service. Having recently been there as a client of the restaurant, I would recommend it and would invite mostly people based North of the river to come check it out.

Usually, people who speak badly of an area have never visited the area. I love Croydon and have leaved there for the past 13 years… I am continuously discovering great things about my area and have many times found myself defending it in front of people who have never crossed the river southward.

Well to you misery guts, Let me tell you about the Croydon Park hotel where I had dinner few days ago. The hotel is literally situated 2 minutes from East Croydon and 5 minutes from the town centre where all the night clubs and restaurants are concentrated.

Upon entering the hotel, the visitor is bathed with an impression of gold lights and, a comfortable reception area with modern soft furnishings and abstract giant art deco objects. At the left, is a reception desk and to the right, is are the lifts and corridor leading to the Brasserie and the restaurant.


The buffet area and ceiling

On the evening of our visit, the restaurant was full and buzzing; as far as I could see, the guests were a mix of hotel guests but mainly locals making the most of this beautiful space. The menu this particular night was a 3-course buffet with drink at £22.95 per person.

The well displayed buffet has offers for all tastes from vegetarian to pescetarian and a very large choice for the carnivores as usual. No matter your palate preferences, you would find something to eat at this beautiful buffet displayed on a giant hexagonal hotplate which, seems to have been carved out of the Ceiling. The latter is covered with tiled mirrors and is reflecting the food on display just below.

The starters buffet was by far the side I had decided to settle in as it offered Salmon, artichokes mozzarella, melon, Parma ham, eggs, king prawns etc… I was spoilt for choice and having taken a quick tour of the mains and having seen the tired green vegetables, wrinkly roast potatoes & colourless broccoli. I was reassured that there was enough salad combos to make my outing worthwhile.

No thank you

For dessert I tried the Tarte aux Pommes which would have been overly sweet had I not chose to have it with double cream. All the other cakes were oversized and full of cream… not to forget the ugliest dessert in the world the crumble… I don’t think the latter has a place in a restaurant unless it is baked in individual ramekins…

If the food was to be marked on 10, I would mark it here at 4. But the atmosphere and service would be marked at 7/10.

In my opinion going out to eat is as much about the atmosphere as it is about the service and food… I loved the atmosphere at the Croydon Park Hotel and will go again. I may not have enjoyed the food here, but for my dinner companions, they seem to love it. Mind you Brits are not too fussed about what they eat and I flippin’ Frenchie seem to be the one to complain every time we go out.

Well dear friends, if I am paying, it gives me the right to express my likes and dislikes freely and I refuse to let go of that right.

See you soon!

Don’t forget to inbox me on twitter @BeenThereRevs

The Criterion - Piccadilly, London

We are in the last week of February and the memories of my sunny Barbados are long forgotten. We are back here in London where it is a celebration when the sun decides to grace us with its warmth and allows us to see where we place our feet as we walk to and from work. Winters in UK seem to be longer than anywhere else on the universe and to forget about the cold and gloom, some prefer to down alcoholic drinks while others like me attempt to dine in places that make us think that we are transported in some European mainland location.

One such place is the Criterion restaurant in Piccadilly, London. Up until now I had not realised that the Criterion was also a restaurant as all that can be seen is the adjacent theatre … the Criterion Theatre.

Up stepping into the small unassuming brown doors you are immediately taken aback by the luxurious décor of the room (click here to see the interior). The lights are very low in the entrance area where people can have drinks. As my friend and I left our coats and extra bags at the cloak room, one of the waiters was called to take us to our seats in an area that had a much better lighting. Looking closer, the decors, it did reflect by its opulence the period it was built in. With all its gold lines on emerald ceilings, the bronze statuettes, multiple cutleries and glasses for each settings…This is only the second time ever that I felt that I was not in my place.

The restaurant is on he left

Having never been in the Criterion, a quick check on the website made me conclude that it was a high end place and as a part time chav, I should make an effort to not appear lost it the beautiful décor and clientele. I was already using a special offer and not dressing appropriately could get us thrown out… just never know with places where the head chef is French.
The waiters were very courteous, that made us feel relaxed and welcomed. We were brought the menus and asked what we wanted to drink and that is when I had to make it clear that we are using a special offer from Topstable.com. For some reason the head waiter had some real difficulty understanding that we were using a special offer that it included a free cocktail. I had to repeat in 3 different occasions… well, they placed the offer there… Had it not been for the offer I would have known there was a restaurant there for one and I wouldn’t have thought I could afford to eat there…

For my starter I had the Blakeney Point mussels with cider very lightly seasoned… with nothing to write home about, but the nice touch was the bowl of water that was brought to rinse our finger as we ate the mussels. Loved that.

My main: Salmon, Samphire, beetroot

My main was a melt in the mouth pan fried salmon steak with a puree of beetroot & horseradish and steamed Samphire which I really enjoyed. I only discovered the Samphire, a stringy vegetable last year and had never tasted it before. It was a nice surprise to find it on my plate although I could have read the menus online beforehand. The portions served where just the right quantities to fill you up without weight you down. My friend had a just right and again beautiful steak that was cooked to perfection… she likes her meat “well dead”.

Our desserts arrived just 5-10 minutes after the plates for our main were cleared away. Mine was a Mini brioche calvados presented with blackberry sorbet which I thoroughly enjoyed and cleared my plate.

We ended up spending £68.00 instead of the £50.00 expected, but it was a well worth experience. One lesson I am learning again and again as I visit various restaurants is that, there is no place you cannot afford. Do not judge a restaurant by it outlook, use special offer, go in and make a note to visit it again if you can afford its full prices. I certainly enjoyed the Criterion and will go back.

If you do go, tweet me your thoughts @beenthererevs.

Thank you for reading J

IS your next stop Barbados?

 So, you have decided to go to Barbados few things for you to do.


Add caption

      1.     Find a travel companion unless you like talking to yourself or have balls.

2.     Book your flight with Dial-a-flight, they are a great travel agent if you are on budget. Ask for Marion, she is a star.

3.     Get you Bajan (Barbadian) dollars from Marks and Spencer’s, they have the best exchange rate and I have been using them for 12 years.

4.      Do also have some US$ with you too just in case you have over tipped and ran out of cash. Both the US$ and the BD$ are used on the island. I do not recommend using UK£ there at all. Plan to change £300.00 in total. the exchange rate on 30th December 2013 was BD$3 for £1.00 or BD$2 for 1US$.

5.      Book yourself in a hotel with a restaurant. That way, you will not starve before having spotted your favourite hangout. Eat light or you will feel lethargic all the time. If all fails, there is always a KFC around the corner.

6.      If your hotel is a good one you will find a free copy of "Barbados in a Nutshell". Get drink, seat down and go through that guide as IT is really in a Nutshell.

7.       Visit Bridgetown, it is mini America and most good duty free bargains are there.

8.      Use all 3 types of buses and go anywhere randomly. Just make sure that you know where to catch the bus back and the name of your hotel. Try not to travel too much by private car or taxi, you will no get to mingle with the locals!

9.       If you like rum, book yourself  the Mount Gay tour or if you are curious about cotton check out the Cotton tour

10.   DO the catamaran trip and snorkelling. You will not regret it. The captain IS a comedian and you will have rum on tap during the outing. Info here http://actioncharters.org/home/cruises

11.   Eat FRESH fish at Pat’s Place in Oistin, Christchurch

12.   For goodness sake’s do not eat a full English or chicken in the Caribbean’s… what’s the point of going away to eat what you eat at home?

For the rest? Just let your head down and let that beautiful fine white sand play in your hair you are on holiday enjoy it. Oh, and try to catch a sunrise before 6am (pic on top), be also generous with the birds (pic below).

 

Have you enjoyed the series? please post a comment or tweet @beenthererevs

See you soon

Barbados, Barbados - Part 2/3

Thank you for coming back for more about my trip in Barbados. See last week’s post if you missed part 1/3…

Public transport:
On the second day my travelling companions and I decided to try out the public transports and venture out of Christchurch to Bridgetown… Barbados offers and excellent public transport service and you can go anywhere from BD$2. There are 3 sorts of buses; if you want to get up close and personal with Bajans, get the ZR white buses, where the music is blasting and you are in danger of having someone seating on your laps. Bajans are generally very patient and helpful. Because of that, we could easily get anywhere we wanted to get to. Bus stops (ALL) have girls’ names and do not indicate the location or town name. So you will have to rely on the other passengers to tell you where to get off… if you are shy, you will have to get out of your box if you want to go around Barbados without getting lost! I loved the bus trips!



Butterfly beach resorts beach

Beaches:

There seems to be a beach every 20 houses or so in Barbados, but, the one I kept hearing about was Miami Beach and the Accra beach where you could bring picnics and also buy drinks. My hotel’s beach was good enough, convenient and practical enough for me not to walk too far while wet. And I could always pop to the bar to grab a drink if I needed to. My hotel is just on the other side of the coconut trees on the picture above.




Blue sky from under the coconut tree

The Stiletto catamaran and staff

 Exploring:

The icing on the cake other than the beautiful wedding I attended was the snorkelling trip… Oh my gosh! You cannot, I repeat, CANNOT go to Barbados without taking a trip on the Stiletto Catamaran (above pic) to feed the turtles and visit the shipwrecks deep in the sea. Before I got on to the Stiletto I could not see myself left alone and holding nothing in the deep sea. But the staff of the catamaran was so patient; I was literally taken by the hand and helped in the sea by Sean who was as patient as a saint teaching a kid (40yo kid) to swim. The trip on the catamaran, the snorkelling, feeding the turtles, see the shipwrecks underwater, lunch and buckets loads of alcohol cost BD$175 and it is worth every penny.


View of another catamaran at sea

Fresh fish:
A place you might want to check out while in Barbados is Oistin. Oistin is located in Christchurch and it is where it is at on the Friday night. There is a centre stage with a giant boom box and people willingly expressing themselves on stage with at times extreme twerkings or random ballet moves. Oistin is also the fresh fish home where hundreds of shacks offer you grilled or deep fried fishes lobsters, shrimps and others. Since we did not know what we were doing on our first visit to Oistin we picked the worst shack to have our dinner. Not only were we served frozen fish, half of the accompaniments were not available and then, the waitress was pressurising us for tip… It wasn’t funny at the time and I didn’t want to be the one in the group rising issues with the service again.  I had already done the night before by refusing to pay the service charge on a BD$70 bill because of the poor service in a restaurant uptown.



No queues at Pat's on the Sunday

After our dinner we were joined by more friends and discovered Mr Bellamy fish shack where the boss himself did the grilling. I sat down again tried the barbecued giant shrimps and my mouth still waters at the thought. Just a day before I left Barbados, we discovered the freshest of fresh grilled fish tent in Oistin and it is Pat’s place. Where they do not hesitate to make you taste the fish so that you can plan to have your dinner there… Pat’s place is opened on the Sunday, but on the Friday night the queue is unbelievably long. I now know why.My last day in Barbados was a very rainy one which forced me to rest a bit before the trip home. The transfer coach was much better and in within the expected standard; clean, modern, air con and chatty driver. The Check-in at the airport was quick and having watched many times a TV programme called “Nothing to Declare”, I had made sure not to travel with anything that may cause the UK border force to strip search me. One thing I did learn is that, you cannot travel back from Barbados with more than 1L of Rum and you cannot enter the UK with creamy baked good bought on the Island.


And if it all goes wrong KFC is there for rescue!

If you are planning to travel there, get your change from Marks & Spencer. 600 Barbados dollars are enough for a 5 days trip. Duty free stuff are really really cheap there, but you will need your passport and return trip details in order to benefit from the discount in Bridgetown Malls. UK and EU citizens do not need a visa to enter Barbados so, you can just up and go.

I really enjoyed my time in Barbados and I think 5 days is just the right amount of time to spend in such place to keep it fresh and enjoyable as every day, there is something new to discover.

Enjoy your time there if you are going and do make time to play in sand and sea. Don't worry about getting the sand in your hair... Be free!

 Cio!

 Is your next holiday location Barbados? Check in next week for the checklist. Thank you for reading!

Have you enjoyed the series? please post a comment or tweet @beenthererevs

Barbados, Barbados - Part 1/3

Caribbean sea view by my hotel

In my wildest dreams the Caribbean was never going to be a destination I would plan to visit. Early January last year a friend called me to invite me to her wedding and it was going to be in Barbados! We were still in the New Year resolutions period and I thought “why not?”  Then there I contacted Dial-a-flight and Marion one of the agents whose customer service is second to none.

Marion within 24 hrs sent me few holiday break options and payment plans. She also made sure that I understood everything event two days before the trip… I call that an Excellent service and would recommend Dial a flight to all those who are travelling on a budget or not.

For my trip to Barbados, I opted for a 5 days 5 nights full board, travelling with Virgin Atlantic and lodging at the Butterfly beach hotel in Christchurch, Barbados. I paid £1450 including flight, accommodation, insurance and transfer from the airport to the hotel.


My room at the Butterfly Beach Hotel 1

Upon arriving in Barbados, the immigration and custom process was fairly quick and I was out of the airport within 30 minutes of landing. The transfer coach was waiting for passengers lodging at the Butterfly beach. My first annoyance came as we boarded the coach. The driver reluctantly helped me to load my luggage in the coach which, was unclean and smelly. The driver wasn’t the most welcoming and having paid what I had paid, I was already ticked off, but gave him a BD$10 tip still.

My room at the Butterfly Beach Hotel 2

The hotel was very welcoming and the receptionist surprise surprise was from London. My room was as big as my whole flat in London. It was located on the 1^st floor with a side view of the Caribbean Sea.

The first thing my travel companions and I did after leaving our luggage in our respective rooms was to check out the restaurant and take a walk on the beach… It was just a privilege to be there at this time of the year when in London it is so cold.

View from my room

Our first dinner at the restaurant of the hotel was just average as we all realized that the fish wasn’t fresh. But the sound of the waves beating the sidewalls of the restaurant gave a great atmosphere to the evening.

My first Bajan breakfast

The next day, the breakfast provide included the full English breakfast, fried plantain fish and fresh fruits. The bread was the regular white brown and granary slices we find in the UK… no sign of the spiced bread or things like ackee and salt fish, slices of papaya or watermelon I was dreaming of… by the time I had my second dinner at the hotel, I had concluded that I would not have what I imagined in term of Caribbean cuisine from the hotel… then again the silver lining is that I will not put on weight.. innit?

Stopping here for now… check in next week to read about the great stuff I did and my quest for fresh fish!

Arrivederci!

Give Lille a try!

Have you read how a spent my day in Lille last month? If not, read it here and here :-)



Brioche Doree's display

If you only have few hours in Lille do the following:

1-      Get a guide.

2-      Try a Brioche Doree tartelette in the Euralille centre.

3-      Stop at St Maurice church to admire the architecture and the glass work.

4-      Checkout Pylones with it quirky household goods

Pylones

5-      Go to Rihour and get the tour bus opposite the Office of Tourism.

6-      Visit the Grand Place.

7-      Visit the Chambres au confitures and buy something just to watch the staff wrap it up.

8-      Have lunch at the Barbue D’anvers just because of the setting and the name.

9-      Have a tea at Meert, but watch the queue and it is posh.

10-   Have an apero at Le Square d’Aramis just to chill and it is a cool brasserie.

11-   Seat at a café terrace opposite Lille Flandres station to watch the world go by.



Get a pot of Jam

12-  Have dinner at Comptoir des Latitudes (for under 30 Euros) if you've got time or try Le Barbue D'Anvers for regional food.

13-   Stroll back to Lille Europe station to catch the Eurostar back.



Have dinner here

Make sure you enjoy the day fully, take your time, but do not forget your return train time. Come back to London with a smile! When your colleagues ask on Monday “so how was your week end?” do not hesitate to throw every single details in to make them jealous.

£100 per person should be enough to enjoy the day unless you do some shopping in Carrefour (Wine). Check out the previous post to see more links.

Book you Eurostar ticket in advance and it should cost £69.00 return pp.

Thank you for reading!

See you soon... I will be taking you to BARBADOS with Me! Sea sand sun and fresh fish!

One day in Lille - France Part 2

Thank you for checking in to part two of our visit to Lille. To read part 1 click here.

Last week, we stopped at the Palace of Rihour. So, Further up and to the right of the Palace, you will see the Theatre du Nord on the Place du General de Gaulle. To the left of the “Place” there is another load of shops including a Virgin and a FNAC, both music shops where cool young people here still like to hang out. At the other side of the “place” we can find many artisans’ shops including this little beauty called “La Chambres aux Confitures” where you can find the most unimaginable jam mixes and combos. The one I wanted most was “Abricots & Ecorces d’oranger” literal translation is apricot and orange tree bark (I am still wondering how it tastes). “La Chambre aux Confitures” is such an original idea and everything displayed can be tasted before buying. The smallest jam pot cost €4.50. And every purchase is carefully wrapped and presented like on the picture. Find further details here.

Opposite “La Chambre aux Confitures” I found this amazing passage way and was curious to find where it lead. Believe it or not, there are 4 restaurants in this corridor (called Rue St Etienne) including one called le Barbue d’Anvers hidden in an inner court and covered by foliage. This place just that just seem to scream “here we serve regional food”. Unfortunately, when I showed up they were closed and preparing for evening service. Well, It will be for another time and summer day preferably. But do check out the website.

Moving on down the road I found Meert, a very old posh patisserie and salon de the… looked a bit like the lunch area of Harrods food court. It was Goûter time when I got there, but the queue made me give up on tasting something there on this occasion. I moved on to Rue Basse right opposite Meert to a restaurant brasserie called Le Square d’Aramis which isn’t listed in the guide. I needed to seat a have a glass of rosé and this just seemed to be the best place for it. L’Aramis is a really cool and trendy place to be. It was nearly empty when I checked in, but, I felt immediately really relaxed at the sight of the porch installed on top of the bar (not joking) and the rough unvarnished floor boards and also the slightly je m’enfoutist staff (I thing Brits call it the careless shrugs?). I loved it there and if was in London it would be a great hang out for my friends and I. Check out the video on the website  look above bar to see the porch…

Still dehambulating in the streets of Lille, I stumbled on Paul’s boulangerie and stopped to buy a pear Armandiere it is unbelievable how much I have missed these things… I eat it while walking (not very lady like). As time for dinner approaches, I wander back to place Charles de Gaulle to find a restaurant off the “place” at Rue Faidherbe. The restaurant is called Comptoir des Latitudes. What an odd name for a restaurant. See my thoughts about this restaurant on one the next posts. I had Foie Gras… J

As the night falls on Lille, I head back towards the station not without having stopped for the last time in Brioche Doree to have my dessert and coffee. I opt for an Eclaire Paris-Brest filled with a cream mixed with crushed almond.

The Euralille the shopping centre is still open and this time the shoppers are office workers buying their last Christmas gifts. As I walk on the Esplanade towards the train station to collect my luggage and catch the onwards high speed train (TGV) to Chateauroux, I spot another building mentioned on the guide; the Tour de Lille shaped like Skiing shoe... I say, it look like an L…

Well that was a full day I am knackered. There is so much more to do in this town and in order to fully enjoy it in a relaxed manner, one must plan a full week end in Lille. I hope that what you will do. And give Paris a little break…

Next week check out my recommendations list for Lille.

Thanks for reading...

One day in Lille - France

Today is the last Friday before Christmas and I am heading to Chateauroux to spend Christmas at my sister’s where the rest of the family will be joining us from Paris, Marseille, Grenoble and Lyon. I have planned to spend a full day in Lille before taking the TGV to Chateauroux.

The Eurostar left St Pancras at 6.30am on this Friday and we are planning an arrival in Lille a little before 9.30am.

Lonely Planet guide

As the Eurostar heading to Bruxelles leaves Lille Europe in France, I look up and see a beautiful sun shining on a blue sky over Lille.
My first stop is the Relay shop in the train station: Yes, I had planned to spend the day, but I have yet no idea about what I can find in this “Ch’tis” country.  In the guide that I find, there are recommendations for places to eat, see and most importantly a map of the town.

Having taken few minutes to consider the guide, I leave my luggage at the “consigne” as I want to be hands free for the next 9hrs or so… to leave the luggage at the locker up to 10 hours only costs €5.50.

Armed with my guide and map the first pit stop is bien sûre Brioche Doree where I order a mini tartelette and a black coffee. I enjoy that tartelette so much that I nearly do a Meg Ryan there and then. Find the London Brioche Doree at 29-31 Picadilly.

Euralille view from Lille Europe station

Next was a tour of the shopping centre adjacent to the Lille-Europe station it is called Euralille (www.euralille.com). Here you will find Carrefour (for the vino stash and French confectionaries), you also find Celio for the best men’s jeans you will ever find, Yves Rocher for your natural beauty products and even a Hollister (I don’t like them). You will also find in Euralille a New Look, Zara and H& M with a French twist. In France, generally, all seems better presented; even the Chinese take away shop looks like a gourmet … it is all about presentation here.
By the time I have toured the shopping centre and reconnected with everything I am missing about France, I have already spent 3 hours in the centre.
 

Lille Flandres train station

Coming out on the other side of Euralille, you will find yourself in the centre of Lille with to your left the Tripostal, one of Europe’s biggest exhibition centre (free entry from Wed to Sunday).
The Tripostal is attached the station Lille Flandres and the Grand Place. Having shoved my guide back into my bag, I decided to walk 'au gres du vent' and aimlessly when I stumbled on the back of Eglise St Maurice about 5 minutes away from Lille Flandres. The church building which seems to have been built on a whole street is such a beautiful edifice that it would be a crime not to get inside to have a look... I did. According to the guide, this church was built in the 14th century and the stain glass work was all done by a local specialist…

Back of St Maurice

Front of St Maurice

On the other side of the church, opposite the Parvis St Maurice there is a pedestrian shopping area littered with restaurants, original shops like Pylones where every household item has a Manga version. Just click on the link to have an idea. The shop here on 18 Rue the Bethunes is very tiny but be careful with your credit card as you may spend on stuff you DO NOT NEED. Right opposite Pylones you will find a Gallerie Lafayette (yup, like in Paris, you will find everything you want in Lille).

Not far from this pedestrian shopping area, you will find the Metro Rihour which is one of the popular recommended stops in Lille. Here, you will be spoilt for choice if you want to eat something. A few of the guide’s recommended restaurants are situated here, so is the office of tourism and a war memorial to the dead of the 1^st and 2^nd world wars. Both the tourism office and the memorial are part of the same building and are said to have been built on the vestiges of the Palace of Rihour… You must go inside (free access) to really see that it was part of the palace. It is in the Office of Tourism that you will also pay for your ticket if you are planning to have a guided tour of the town. The tour cost €12 and lasts 55 minutes. See you next week for Part 2.

Next stops are: Theatre du Nord, a Jam specialist, two snack stops and a restaurant for dinner.

A bientot!