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Article: France moves a Lille closer ; It's the nearest continental Eurostar stop, it has the biggest art collection outside the Louvre, and outstanding restaurants: no wonder Nick Curtis found plenty to fill a two-day break
- Article from:
- The Evening Standard (London, England)
- Article date:
- April 30, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2008 Evening Standard - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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THE DECISION was taken on the spur of the moment. We had two days
free midweek, we hadn't been to the refurbished St Pancras, we'd
already been to Paris ... so Lille won out simply by virtue of being
the closest continental destination on Eurostar, reachable in 80
minutes.
Its food and architecture belying its proximity to the Belgian
border, Lille turns out to be a sprawling conurbation with a compact
centre that nonetheless contains enough art, notable buildings and
restaurants (including the Michelin-starred l'Huitriere, of which
more later) to fill up two days. Who knew? One arrives in a
modernist landscape which gives no hint of Lille's 1,400-year
history. The Eurostar terminus and the ...