Since it carries the name Bourse it suggests that this used to the the former stock exchange,…read morethough considering that were are now in France I would have thought that the Stock Exchange would have been located in Paris. However, what this place actually is is a market place, and when we wandered through here on Sunday discovered that all of the regional booksellers had descended upon the town to begin selling their wares. Basically you could find quite a number of second-hand French books as well as numerous posters and other things (such as records). There are also a number of shops around the outside that are basically regular shops, but if you are looking for a bargain then definitely step inside and have a bit of a look around.

A brilliant building to check out in the middle of Lille. Inside there is also a book market and…read moresome art works sold which is quite a wonderful use of space in the Old Stock Exchange!

Lille is a visually spectacular city, and the Grand Place, for me, was the icing on the cake. To…read morejust sit in this square and marvel at the buildings and soak in the atmosphere is really quite a wonderful thing to do. It's a wonderful place to sit in the sun, and there's a number of bars and eateries in the area too, well worth checking out.

I didn't know about Canadian National Vimy Memorial until this visit. My bad. Canada lost many…read morelives in Vimy, on this site, in World War One. The memorial is beautiful. The various statues symbolize our emotions. The guided tour is the best part of the visit. It includes a short section of a tunnel dug during the war. Our guide explained how the war in Vimy was like, and the conditions the soldiers had to endure above and below ground: Cold and muddy; digging the tunnel by hand then hand carrying the rocks in bags for whatever long distance to get out of the tunnel and bury the bags in mud; mines blowing up just past the trench; hearing the noises of war. As she talked, I felt creeps running down my back. I wouldn't have last a week here, let alone the 3 months the soldiers endured during their rotation. Many Canadians died or suffered here to defend an ideal, to defend freedom. I feel grateful for the freedom and comfort we have nowadays. I have immerse respect for Canadian veterans and soldiers. Please pay a visit when you are near. It is only 1.5 hour drive from Brussels.