Living in Lille

Hey guys, before starting to tell my story, I want to tell this, I'm glad that erasmusu.com exists. It has been only 4 months since I came back from erasmus but I started to use it about one week ago because I just discovered it. People need a lot of information before going on Erasmus... Endless questions, concerns and curiosity, which is the most important feeling, so it is really helpful to learn all of these things and benefit from someone else's experience who has done this before. I had all these sweet difficulties before I went there so I'd love to help you guys who want to go or are considering going on Erasmus. Let's start.

Lille is a small city in north of France that is why it is easy to live there and people shouldn't be afraid to go there. I said it is a small city but it is actually the 4th biggest city in France. There is a shopping centre in the city centre called Euralille, you can find many stories, also try to buy your bread or something else before Sunday otherwise you will be have to follow the open Carrefour expresses. When I went to Lille for the first time, it was Sunday and I went to a market and I came back empty handed because of being new to the city and also I couldn't find anybody to ask. By the way, while I'm talking about shopping centres, my university was in Lille Science and technology university Villeneuve d'Ascq and the residence where I lived was also on campus and there was a market called "Auchan" which was nearby. You can compare it to Kipa in Turkey. It had various sections and you have the chance to find many convenient things. I used to do my shopping there. At the beginning, I was unfamiliar to almost every product so I would spend hours there trying to understand and translate their labels.

After a while, I got used to it and I found out which products were good for me by tasting them so the time I spent there decreased. After these life-savings pieces of advice, we can keep on discovering Lille. I can say that the city centre in Lille was basically Grand place square. There are lots of café's and restaurants in this square, along many well preserved historical buildings in this square. The historical building that I liked the most was the Vielille stock market. Also, there is a magnificent goddess sculpture in the centre of the square. There is a pool around this sculpture where people can meet or rest a little to catch their breath. I can say that it is usuallu hard to find a free place there because of the crowds, especially during nice weather. You can see the Grand Place square below.

Now, let's talk about the place I liked the most in Lille, a peaceful park called "Citadelle". A river which is between 2 sided roads of trees that takes you there, also there are boat tours on the river to inform tourists, I attended one of these boat tours in September. The guide speaks French but don't worry they give you a guide book in English for those who don't speak French. I visited this park in autumn, when leaves were falling but I'm sure it would be just as beautiful in summer. It is usually crowded around the park, you can see people doing many different activities like working out, running, cycling, walking or sitting on a bench and reading a book. Also, there is an amusement park and a zoo near the park. There are many adrenaline rides and there are stores where you can buy candy, waffles or ice cream. However, during winter, the amusement park is closed and all rides are collected. I did Erasmus between September and January in autumn term, so I can say that I saw it in every way. Here are some shots of the park, like a fairytale..

There is another place which is Palais des Beaux-arts, a modern art museum in Lille, which I definitely recommend you to visit. It is very big and you can find many a collection with paintings from hundreds of European artists. The museum I love the most in France is the famous Louvre museum, as everybody else does. I learned later that Palais des Beaux-art is the second-best art museum after the Louvre.

The other place I used to enjoy to go for a walk is a district of the old city where you can see tiny, authentic, old streets around with patisserie or cafes. Walking in these small streets with the cobblestone pavement makes you feel delighted, you can run in to artists who do their paintings or a waitress who is serving her customers at their tables that are located on a pavement or a nice smell coming from a patisserie. I don't know if you are interested in it as much as me but before I forget, I'd love to tell you that you will love the houses with colourful shutters, it is so rare to see a house without a shutter.

That's all for now, see you soon.

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