Under a leaden sky in the north of France, the kids and I went to our favorite place in Lille last weekend…the Gare Saint Sauveur.

Built in 1861, the Gare was supposed to be the main train station of Lille, but due to its location, far from the historical center, it became a freight station. In 2009 it was renovated into a cultural and leisure space. All year long there are concerts, movies, art exhibitions; sports, science and musical events, many of them free.

There’s a terrific restaurant inside this building. We had lunch there.

This was my starter, fresh and delicious – melon au Porto et jambon de Parme.

It has been said (and written) that kids in France eat differently and better than kids outside of France. Wrong!  Chicken nuggets, fries and Coke. With lots of ketchup.

I had fries, deep-fried shrimpy things with tartar sauce and coleslaw. And a glass of wine. Geez…and I wonder why I’m struggling with my weight.

This was not my dessert….it was M’s.

In another building was a LEGO display. Children (and adults) received a bag full of Lego bricks from which to build their own construction. While the kids were building houses, I went into another building to view a contemporary art exhibition.

Earlier, we had gone to the fish market for beautiful fish caught fresh that morning.

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