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Postcards from Lille

When JP’s work wanted to bring him to France for 3 weeks, I wasn’t about to let him go without me. So I joined him on his last week in Lille, France. These are some “postcards” of my time there, plus a short afternoon in Roubaix.

August 9 - August 13, 2026

The street outside Hotel Maison Louise

The street right outside our hotel, Hotel Maison Louise, in Vieux-Lille.

Me in my dress on a Lille street Selfie in my dress with the belfry behind me
The storefront of Méert in Lille The ornate interior of Méert

Méert, open since 1677.

Holding a Méert gaufre outside the shop

The Méert gaufre, on the menu since 1849. It looks like a stroopwafel but it’s a soft brioche-style waffle filled with Madagascar vanilla paste.

The Opéra de Lille

Opéra de Lille.

The belfry of the Chambre de Commerce

The belfry of the Chambre de Commerce. It’s in the background of half my photos.

The belfry rising over the Grand Place, shot on film

My favorite photo from the trip. The belfry over the Grand Place, on film. It’s also the background of this page.

A Vieux-Lille street in the evening Ornate wooden door on a Vieux-Lille townhouse
Brick corner building in Vieux-Lille White townhouse with a gold sun above the door
Narrow cobblestone street in Vieux-Lille Red and white striped brick house with ivy
Shopfronts in Vieux-Lille at dusk
The Rue de la Monnaie street sign hanging over the street, on film The white building with the gold sun on its pediment, in full sun, on film

Rue de la Monnaie, and the building with the sun on it. Both on film.

L’Ogre restaurant in Lille

L’Ogre. Didn’t get to go, but next time.

A narrow yellow facade between two buildings

I thought this was the smallest house in Lille until I googled it while putting this together. It’s actually a passage through to the Place du Lion d’Or, and it’s been there since the Middle Ages.

The courtyard of the Vieille Bourse

The Vieille Bourse, built in 1623. Merchants did their trading here. Now it’s a secondhand book market.

Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille Cathedral

Gothic portal of Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille Carved tympanum above the cathedral door
Stained glass window inside the cathedral The nave of Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille
A side chapel with painted walls and stained glass
Gilded altar under a stained glass window Painted altarpiece
Rows of lit prayer candles

Église Saint-Maurice

Église Saint-Maurice from the square The carved entrance of Saint-Maurice Side door of Saint-Maurice
The spire of Saint-Maurice against a blue sky Stained glass window inside Saint-Maurice
Inside Saint-Maurice
Saint-Maurice in the sun
The bar at Brasserie Campion Steak, fries, and béarnaise at Brasserie Campion

Dinner at Brasserie Campion. Steak with béarnaise, fries, and an espresso martini. Not pictured: the homemade vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce I devoured before taking a picture.

The book-lined dining room at La Bellezza

Dinner at La Bellezza with JP’s new work friend Dragos and his wife Jennifer.

JP and Dragos Me and Jennifer

JP and Dragos. Me and Jennifer.

JP at dinner at L’Abbaye Flemish carbonnade with fries at L’Abbaye

Dinner at L’Abbaye. I had the Flemish carbonnade. It tasted just like my grandma’s beef stew, so I cried.

P’tite Poutine restaurant in Lille

P’tite Poutine. Didn’t go in, but I figured my Canadian family would get a kick out of it.

The solar eclipse! Lille saw 90% coverage. We found our way to the rooftop of the Grand Hotel Bellevue, and a lovely Dutch family shared their eclipse glasses with us. It’s very hard not to look at the sun directly.

The belfry and rooftops from the Grand Hotel Bellevue roof, on film

The view from where we watched the eclipse, on film.

The belfry at golden hour from Le Toit-Terrasse JP and me on the rooftop with Lille behind us

After the eclipse we went to Le Toit-Terrasse, the hotel’s little rooftop bar. This was the view.

French pharmacy skincare haul laid out on a hotel bed

Pharmacy haul number 1…

Roubaix

La Piscine Musée. A former public swimming pool built between 1927 and 1932 in an Art Deco style, now a museum.

The main pool hall at La Piscine museum in Roubaix The stained-glass sunburst window over the pool at La Piscine

The main room, with the pool in the middle and sculptures all around.

Painting of the death of Mary Magdalene at La Piscine

The death of Mary Magdalene.

Bronze sculpture of a French bulldog

For my friend McKenzie, whose dog Lewis looks exactly like this.

Plaster sculptures under warm lamps inside La Piscine, on film

Inside La Piscine, on film.

The recreated studio of sculptor Henri Bouchard.

Part 2: Postcards from Bruges and Brussels.