Place du Gérnéral de Gaulle

Lille: this is where I have spent this weekend. it's a nice place: you can feel an overwhelming influence of our Belgian neightbours in this place due to its proximity to Belgium: the atmosphere, the architecture...so different from Paris or Rouen! I have taken this picture last night as the sun was beginning its slow descent into the night. And how lucky I did this because this morning it was pouring!!!

We discovered one of the best and oldest tearooms in Lille called MEERT, established since 1761! It serves very refined cakes and the decor is old-fashioned, especially the main "salon". There is also a veranda and outside sitting for the people optimistic enough to think that their sittiing is not going to be interrupted with rain (which I guess must happen!). The personel is very attentive and always ready to please. Even if the prices are lower than Ladurée in Paris, for instance, you actually get slightly less for your money (especially tea-wise). But It's all worth the experience! Had to queue for 40 minutes to get a table, but that again was worth it. I had a "fraisier" which is (from top to bottom) a summer cake make from one very think slice of bitter chocolate, with thin layer of almond flavoured sponge cake, the whole strawberries surrounded in vanilla cream, topped again with another thing layer of sponge cake and strawberry flavour jam like icing. A few berries on thte top et voilà! My husband got a "religieuse" shaped like dessert made from a base of choux pastry filled with vanilla cream and strawberry fruit purée, strawberry icing, topped on top but a semi-cylinder of white chocolate on which was balancing a raspberry macaron.

And the old Lille is quite a sight with it's old flamboyant style buildings (as I say very close the Belgian style). No to be missed it happen to visit anything nearby.