This is a REAL pâtisserie, Grace!

Salut, tout le monde!
Alors, c'est Sabine et je vais vous réemmener à Lille.

As you might know, American Girl's Girl of the Year 2015 is Grace Thomas, who seems to enforce several French stereotypes. I'm not even sorry. Paris isn't the only city in France, and I don't know why there are Eiffel Towers all over her things. They are all over stereotypical products sold in France, too, and it's sort-of funny. I don't get it.

Paris is fun, but it isn't perfect. Just visit the banlieues that surround it, and your perspective will greatly change. I think I've just visited Paris way too much that I'm tired of it. I am only an hour away if you take the TGV.

The Grace clothes are super cute, though, and I think Aurélie and I wear them quite well, better than Grace herself.

And just for the record, not all French people own pâtisseries and bake yummy goodies. My parents aren't amazing bakers OR cooks for that matter. In fact, most pâtisseries are both pâtisseries and boulangeries, which means they sell pastries and breads. Grace's "pâtisserie" bothers me greatly because it isn't truly only a pâtisserie. She sells brioche and baguettes there, I believe, It definitely is more Americanized.

Well, I happen to have a famous pâtisserie that is purely a pâtisserie as my favorite pâtisserie in the whole world...

Let me introduce you to Meert. It might be better than Ladurée, but I'm so biased. There is a Meert in Paris, everyone! However, if you want to go to Meert, it's best to go to its flagship and birthplace, right here in Lille. It's been around since 1761, and it is most famous for its delicious gaufres fourrées I don't know the English equivalent, so I can explain them: they are like little cookie-like waffles filled with different creams), which are THE BEST. The classic vanilla-filled ones are my favorite! Delphine argues with me all the time because she's obsessed with the pistachio-cream-filled ones. They sell other things too, like little cakes, spéculoos, cookies, tea, and other good stuff. Here are the pretty windows: 

Here's the entrance to the shop part. Isn't it so gorgeous?

I ruined my meal by buying and devouring two of those vanilla-filled gaufres. It was worth it.

When you walk into the restaurant part, there is this collage of bags and labels from Meert's past:

It's not France if the regional newspaper isn't available! We French sure love our newspapers!

Here's the indoor dining room. It looks so regal, right? Almost like a palace...

The menu is even pretty:

And my breakfast that I spoiled by eating too many waffles beforehand....

That was a tour of one of my favorite places in Lille! I hope you enjoyed it and visit someday; I highly recommend it. Do you have a favorite pastry or sweet?

A tout,

Sabine