A mill in the town Croix

A you see this mill has a Christmas decoration. As I was young we called this town district near ours, the Quartier des Deux Moulins, it means in english town district of the two mills. I never seen the second mill, and this one was re-built since about fifteen years only.

Clara

Merry Christmas

This photo taken in Croix, is a Christmas decoration of an house, not fare where the place where I live as I was a teenager. At this time the houses had not Christmas enlightments on the road or street, only public buildings had some, but since a few years it is a new fashion to enlight the private houses on the road or street side.

Clara

Christmas is coming...

Here is a shop-window in Croix with Christmas decoration. I took this photo near the main place.

Some stones

Here are some stones in a square in Croix, near the metro station "Town-hall of Croix". And some autumn leaves.

Clara

Test

Test to see if the publishing is OK to-day.

Till'next !

I write 300 messages on all my blogs before I go to the béta version of the blog.
Clara

Flowers climbing at the gate

This flowers are climbing at the gate of the town-hall in Croix ( a town of 20 000 inhabitants in the Lille Métropole between Lille and Roubaix)and next to Roubaix). I toke this photo in last autumn 2005 but I want to publish it because I find it very well how they made it. In this town- hall we married more than thirty years ago.
Clara

Another town of the Lille Métropole : Croix

Croix is another town of the Métropole of Lille : here a little square near a sport hall, where are going all the drivers and passengers of these cars (Square Roger Martin du Gard).
It is an autumn view which I made in october/november 2005.
Clara

Comments opened.

The comments are working again, but I tried two hours long to get them open and now this blog has lost its counter.
Clara

I open the comments.

I forget to open the comments. I'm opening them now.
No; I didn't forget. I tried several times and it do not go. I tried to open the comment-boxes, but it doesn't go on this blog.
Clara, Lille Métropole City Photo Blog.

The door of Paris.

It is the triumph entrance of the city through which the king Louis XIV of France (called the sun king : le Roi Soleil) went into the city in the 17th century, when he did conquest this part of Flanders which became then french.

On the left you can see the triumphal door of Paris (doors bear the names of the streets or roads whereon they are lead). Above the right part of the door you see the town-hall tower called Beffroi (Unesco mankind cultural heritage) and the old part of the town-hall. It was rebuilt after the first World War in a flamish neo-gothic style : look at the little tower which looks like the tower of a medieval castle !

Clara

Reflection in a window

This is the reflection in the window of a shop of the tower of the catholic church St Sauveur (in France the most churches are catholic). This church is behind the town hall not far from the railway station Lille-Flandres.
Perle de Rosée.

The Beffroi of Lille.

Here is the Beffroi of Lille. It was built 1923 after the first World War because the first Beffroi was destroyed. A Beffroi is a tower where somebody had to watch upon the surroundings if no ennemy was to make the siege of the town. It was almost always built on the top of the town-hall. The Beffroi of Lille is part of the World Heritage of the UNESCO like 22 other Beffrois of the North-Pas de Calais and Picardy and a lot of Beffrois of Belgium. They have often a play of little bells one which are played smart melodies. In Lille is the hymn the P'tit Quinquin which is sung in Lille's dialect. It is a cradle song where the mother speaks to her child the P'tit Quinquin. The Beffrois are the emblems of the towns of the North Country.

On the right is an Oriel, it is the window of a house which is above the street so that the people can look better to the street. This one has femmish glasses (much little glasses in a wood embrasure).

Perle de Rosée.

Lydéric and Phynaert

On these two photos we look at Lydéric and Phynaert the two giants of Lille, about whom there is a legend : they are the foundators of Lille. This sculpture is at the edge of the townhall of Lille.

It was rebuilt 1923 after the First World War. On the second photo there are branches of trees because I made this photo at the end of the winter. With my camera I could not make this photo with leaves on the trees, because I cannot enough far from the scupture to make the photo with leaves.

Here about the story of Lille, which was in the past not a french town.

Until 1329 it was one of the capital town of the earldom of Flanders.

In 1213 there were a siege by the French King Philippe-Auguste about what the Lillois, inhabitants of Lille, had during a long time a bad remembrance, but they had the victory so that Lille stayed flemmish.,

1369 there were a wedding between Marguerite de Flandres (Margrit of Flanders) and Philippe le Hardi, king of Burgundy, and Lille was a gift of the duke of Flanders to Burgundy (Burgundy was not France).

During the time it was Burgundy part, Lille had a very good expansion, and it was its best time. It was one of the main town for the sale of textiles. It is the traditional industry of the North of France.

1477 Marie de Bourgogne (Mary of Burgundy) was married with Maximilian of Habsbourg and Lille was a gift from the king of Burgundy to the emperor of Austria. And so went Lille to the Austrian crown.

Then came as Austrian emperor and king of Spain Charles the 5th, which french people call Charles Quint. He had the empire were "there is no sunset", it means it was always in a corner of his empire day. From the West Indies (South America) to the East Indies (India). At this time Lille was still a rich town.

Then Spain lost Austria and Lille went to the crown of Spain. Under Philipp II of Spain, it was spanish dominion, like Belgium and Netherland, but in Netherland, the Prince of Orange made Netherlands an independant country. But Lille and Belgium staid under the crown of Spain.

In 1667 was much despair in the town of Lille. In August during 10 days the king of France Louis 14th was at the doors of Lille. He held a siege of ten days and at the 28 August 1667 the Lillois gave the keys of the town to Louis 14 who came though the door of Paris in the town. He made Lille to a defensive place and gave Lille walls and a defensive system of Vauban. It was a defensive place at the border of France, so that from the time it became french Lille had to suffer under many wars. And this until 1945.

Since Konrad Adenauer and Charles de Gaulle who was born in Lille, decided to make peace between France and Germany and to make an European Community which became then the European Union, Lille had no wars more. The friendship between the two men did avoid new wars.

Perle de Rosée.

The church St Sauveur and the Sport Palast.

Here a view on the Church St Sauveur in Lille and the Sport-Palast. In the evening.
Perle de Rosée

The church St Sauveur.

Here this church from which I think it's a church of the twentieth century is in an old byzantine style. It is also not far from Paris, when you are going from the railway stations to the town hall with the big Beffroi.
Clara.

The belgian Lion : Le lion Belge.

You know Lille is not far away from Belgium and here is a restaurant called Le Lion Belge, The Belgian Lion. It is also near the Railway Station Lille Flandres. In this part of the town there are many cafe-houses, but you can find them overall in the town, from the big café for the rich peaple where you drink a coffee cup or a tea cup with a piece of chocolade to the café de quartier where the men which live not far are drinking too much alcohol, especially beer of the North or belgian beer. Above the white house with the square white stones is typical for the town style of the end of the nineteen century. The house in the back is like you see in renovation.

Clara.

Chinese Restaurant.

In the Lille Metropole like in every big town are many foreign kitchen restaurants like this chinese restaurant, which is near the railway station Lille Flandres. I don't know if somebody can read the Chinese letters. Perharps Lisi ? We would like to have a translation. Above on the left is the Japanese Word Karaoké for a competition of singing with play-back. These competitions are held the most time in cafés and restaurants and are only for non-professional singers. The people of the North of France loves singing and play music.
Clara.

Le bistrot d'Angèle 2.

Another view of the 'Bistrot d'Angèle". You can see on the blackboard with the name of the meals it is also a restaurant with typical meals of North of France.
Clara

Le bistrot d'Angèle. A "estaminet".

The North People of France like to meet in the cafés, especially the men, but also the students, and so on... The old word for these cafés are in the North of France "estaminets". But an other word is also "bistrot" . But I think "bistrot" is a name of the whole France and estaminet is a word only of the North. Estaminet is a beautiful word, I think of old french. The Bistrot d'Angèle, or Angèle (woman name) 's pub, is near the railway station Lille Flandres.

Clara.

Are you hungry ? North people eat "frites".

One of the best loved meal of the North People of France (so like the belgians) is "Frites". "Frites" are made of roasted fine pieces of potatoes. You eat them with a sausage like this one, the most time with "Mayonnaise". I take this photo at the outside service of a "Frites" restaurant near the railway station "Lille Flandres".
Clara.
Comment by Kitty (Netherlands) :
Hi ClaraBeing Dutch I was told that the Belgiums are the inventors of frites (patat friet- fryed patatoes) You should check the album Astrix and the Belgiums.In Holland it is a famous snack and meal too. Almost every household has a fryingpan to bake them.We also eat the frites with mayonaisse that tastes completely different from the mayonaisse in France. Come and visit Holland one day. It isn't that far from France.
vendredi, mai 26, 2006 1:09:06 AM

The railway station Lille-Flandres.

So, we arrived in Lille with the TGV, Train à grande Vitesse (High Speed Railway) (not in reality I came with the TER : Trans-Express-Régional). And we looked at the Railway Station Lille-Europe, at the Place de la Déesse and now we are looking at the Railway Station Lille-Flandres. It is a railway station for the regional trains and the little trains to Belgium like the trains to Tournai/Dornijk, Anvers/Antwerpen or Ostende. You can find here also the TGV to Paris ( a part of them) and some other Trains de Grandes Lignes like the Calais-Bâle (Calais-Basel). The trains to London, other french towns like Montpellier are in Lille-Europe. I toke this photo at the end of March as I went to a course of informatic for teachers of german. I toke the photo in the evening so that the lights were burning. You can see also a newspaper stand.

Clara.

Vertical (Scrapbook 8).

Here the last picture of my scrapbook of Lille 2004. Then we shall go to recent pictures. Which are not already in scrapbooks. It's almost the same picture as in the last message (just below). But the photo is on another side. But you can see a little more the old flamish houses of the place. You know, Lille was a flamish town until the french king Louis XIV toke the place in 1671. I was at the feast 1971 for the 300th anniversary of Lille as french town as I was young. But now I think it is not fair from Louis XIV to have make this old flamish town french. It was in the middle age and Renaissance a big place for the trade of textils. And has a flamish culture. The textil industry was also the main industry of the two big towns Roubaix and Tourcoing in the XIXth century and in the first half of the XXth century.The crisis of the Textil Industry came in the sixties/seventies when came the chemical textil industry.

I already published this part of my album in La Page de Dominique et Paul.
clara/cosima/dominique/dominika.

The godness of Lille (Grand Place). (scrapbook 7).

Here is the "Great Square" of Lille or Grand Place. The official name of this place is Place du Général de Gaulle. But the non-official name of the square is the Place de la Déesse (in english the Place of the Godness). The old people of Lille and of the Métropole of Lille give it that name.You can see the Godness here on the top of the column. It's the reason why the people gave this second name to the place. Perhaps it's is its really old name.

In the back of the photo you have the second Beffroi, the Beffroi of the Nouvelle Bourse. I like this one better than the big Beffroi which is on the list of the french Beffrois of the World Heritage of the Unesco. All this Beffrois or town-towers, are in the Regions North-Pas-de-Calais and Picardie. They came 2005 to the list of the World Heritage. Dunkerque has its two town towers in the World Heritage, but Lille only one.

The big black columns where part of the decoration for Lille 2004, and now they are no more there.

I published this part of my scrap-book also in La Page de Dominique et Paul in November 2005, but without explanations.

Clara, Amalia, Dominique-Dominika.

Lille 2004, entrance of Euralille and Lille 2004, the sculpture for the railway station Lille-Flandres (Scrapbook 6).

This is another page of my scrapbook, I didn't explain what it is in La Page de Dominique et Paul, so I'm doing it here. On the left you can see a sculpture (a modern one)... It was in front of the railway station Lille-Flandres. It is the old railway station where are the departure of the regional trains and a few national and international trains, the most of this last ones to Belgium.
The great international trains have their departure in Lille Europe (no need to take a taxi. It is not fare). There are there the Eurostar to London and Brussels, ans the other TGVs (Train à Grande Vitesse). So coming again to speak of the sculpture, it was in the fountain in front of the railway station. On the right picture is the entrance of Euralille at the time of Lille 2004. Lille was at a time in the competition to organize the olympic games of 2000. But it lost the competition and became instead of this the right to be european main town of Culture for the year 2OO4.
Clara/Amalia/dominique/dominique/dominika.

Anoher time, the bunch of flowers of Lille 2004 (Scrapbook 5)

A photo of the bunch of flower which I didn't already published. Another page of my scrapbook.
Clara/dominique

Bunch of flowers at Euralille (Lille 2004)- (Scrapbook 4)

Here again the same bunch of flowers of Lille 2004. It is held as a artistic work and stay until to-day. Lille 2004 was the official name of all was what organized in Lille as Lille was "European town of Culture" or in french "Capitale Européenne de la Culture". It was in the year 2004. Each year is an other european town "Main European Town of Culture". Graz, Weimar, Cork were already on the european programm. In the programm of Lille were many things which I didn't approve. For example they made much street decoration, like they make each year also by the Inattendus or the Folies in Maubeuge. But there were also a big cultural programm. And a giant parade. Unfortunately I was not at the giant parade. Here the giant of my town : Jeanjean. (Cliquez sur son nom).

I published already this page of my scrapbook in La Page de Dominique et Paul on November 2005.

Clara/Amalia/Perle de Rosée/dominique.

The towers and its flowers (Scrapbook 3).

Here is the third scrapbook page about Lille. I published already this picture here. It's always the tower with its flower, but one year before the other picture. The photos of my scrapbook were taken in July 2004 as I accompanied young french, german, and tschechish people to Lille in my Europe-comitee of Anor.
Amalia/Clara/dominique

Lille 2004 near Euralille. (Scrapbook 2)

A view of my scrapbook. I have taken that photo of the bridge that you see on the first photo of the blog. During Lille 2004 they had laid this pieces of wood on the ground on which the people used to sit. It was a good idea. But this wooden pieces are no more there.
clara/dominique

The towers of Euralille.(Scrapbook 1)

This is of the scrapbook of dominique/dominika. This Photo was taken in July 2004 during Lille 2004.
dominique/perle de rosée/clara

Bunch of Flowers at Euralille

An other view of the bunch of flowers of Lille 2004.
First published in Lille Métropole Photo Blog (this blog) between the 8th and the 10th March 2006 on my other profile perle de rosée.
I toke this photo after a day TER-MER in August 2005.
perle de rosée/dominique/clara

Towers of Euralille and a bunch of flowers.

First published this photo between the 8th and the 11 march 2006 on this blog by perle de rosée.
You can see the flowers of Euralille 2004. I have taken this photo after a day TER-MER in August 2005. This flowers of Lille 2004 as Lille was European Main Town of the Culture, are staying always there now.
The A is this of the great shop (supermarket) chain Auchan, which was founded in Lille. Eurolille is a commercial center.
perle de rosée/clara/dominique

Le chemin de Lille-Europe à Lille Flandres et au reste de Lille.

First posted by perle de rosée to Lille Métropole Photo Blog at 3/08/2006 04:58:00 PM.
Photo taken after a day TER-MER in August 2005.
Here is the street which leads to the railway station Lille-Europe where is the departure of the high speed railway (TGV) to the other old railway station of Lille-Flandres and in the midtown. You can sea the towers of the church St Maurice in a gotic style, it is not far from the railway station of Lille Flandres.
Clara/Perle de Rosée/dominique

Flowers of Lille 2004 and the tower of Eruralille

This tower near the railway station of Lille Europe (station for the high speed railways), hat stands below on the picture. It was built at the end of the twentieth century. It is famous in cause of its form.The flowers were a sculpture of Lille 2004, as LILLE was the main town of european culture for one year. The sulpture has stayed always there.

I don't know who made the sculpture, since I wrote the lines above, I have read his name on a newspaper or review and know he is japanese but the review of book was taken of my house so that I have forgotten his name. If you know is name you can put it on the comment.

Second edition.
I have taken this photo after a day TER MER in August 2005.

Under the bridge from Euralille.

Under the bridge from Euralille
First published on the 8 mar 2006 by perle de rosée.
I have taken this photo in August 2005 after a day TER-MER.
Here is a photo (I'm proud of it !) that I take under the bridge that is between the Railway Station of Lille-Flandres and the railway station of Lille Europe.
in french.