Lille, France

Bonjour.
To note when traveling to France. The French usually take a two hour lunch brake. 12-2pm. Many museums are open in the morning and afternoon, but will close at 5pm. Be ready to be kicked out a good ten minutes before hand.

The journey over had a slight interesting twist to it. The National Express bus that I took from Victoria bus station passed through the place where I was staying in London. The thought of seeing the same intersection I passed by three hours earlier was not enjoyed. Unfortunately I could not pick it up from Eltham. Once we arrived at Dover I was fully expecting to board a sailing vessel belonging to P & O Lines of some sort. Wrong. I saw train rails. Oh, that's not what I was expecting. Passed through French customs with a breeze. The exciting part was getting a stamp in my passport. A few minutes later the bus drove down a ramp and arrived at a platform. Stopping beside a silver fieght car sporting a few small windows. The coach made a massive maneuver and slide into a tight hole inside this thing. One might feel a bit claustrophobic, but will only last a few minutes. The bus came to a complete stop. Doors began to move locking in place and lights begin to twirl. An announcement came on. 'You must keep all windows open half way, Do not stand between vehicles, taking pictures are not aloud as it interferes with the fire system'. Most of the journey was spent in a tunnel. The same passage as the Eurostar takes. I am on an auto-train. Quite an experience. Arriving less than an hour later in France we were greeted with rain. The motorway took us through Dunkirk and alot of farmland before reaching Lille.

Street signs are placed on the corner of buildings in small text. If your not used to it you could misread it and end up walking round in circles if your not careful. It's exactly what happened to me.

My first night was spent at a hotel. It was a two star that proved to be more than pleasant. Wonderful staff speaking both English and French. In the morning I enjoyed fresh French bread with nutella. This was priceless for me. During my stay I made sure I got to most of the museums.