This morning I had some travel housekeeping to do. Confirm reservations, check the train strikes, convert some cash to euros. Also had some financial stuff to stay on top of so much of the morning was taken up with me in our hotel room at my computer. We did have time to go out and enjoy a Belgian treat that I had not yet enjoyed. The Waffle. Sandy and I found a restaurant that served them perfectly. The "House of Waffles", this is an unfortunate name because it resembles the name of an American pancake chain "International House of Pancakes" or IHOP. Believe me, the House of Waffles is a whole different thing. They make matters worse by having a walkup window like all the other touristy waffle houses in Bruges but, because of advice from a local we learned that if we squeeze past all the tourists and down a skinny corridor, the back of the house opens up into a pleasant restaurant. At least on the tables surrounding us, only Sandy and I were speaking English. Sandy got the waffle with blueberries and mine came with wild cherries. This was time well spent.
Today we moved into France. This is the fifth time Sandy has been in France, but she never tires of it. As the train approached the border and more signs were in French she felt a sense of comfort. When the announcements on the train started coming in French she expressed her happiness. Sandy is a good traveler, a good sport, but above all a true francophile. We got into Lille-Flanders station just about 4:00PM after changing trains in the town of Courtrai(French)/Kortrijk(Dutch). Though we were more prepared for it this time, it is always good to know both the French and Dutch spelling for train station towns.
After settling into our room we walked into the downtown section of Lille. It was so much more than I had expected. A number of market squares all surrounded by impressive buildings, department stores, boutique shops, and uncountable cafés. We ate at "La Chicorée" where I had mussels and Roquefort...it was delicious. Surprisingly, Lille has become (since 2016) a center for Welsh Rarebit. Not a single café failed to have a section called "The Welshes". It seems to have taken off after a Welsh rugby team spent some time here during an international tournament. It has become so popular that some native Lillians consider it the official dish of Lille. I truly love Welsh rarebit but didn't get it because it didn't seem French enough. Now knowing the story, I wish I had. On the walk back to the Hotel the sun had set and the city was lit up in primarily blue lights. It was stunning.
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