La Citadelle de Lille et le Jardin Vauban

Salut, tout le monde! C'est Sabine. Vous comprennez que je n'ai pas écrit depuis novembre. Alors, c'est la vie. J'étais occupée avec l'école et les autres choses.

So yeah, I've been a bad blogger. This school year has been difficult, and I haven't had much time for anything besides schoolwork. Oh, and I have big news that I'll reveal soon. I also need to do a birthday blog post and some more hometown blog posts. I'll catch up.

In this tour de Lille post, I'll be talking about le parc de la Citadelle- the largest park in Lille. In order to get to the park, you first pass the Quai du Wault. It's a pretty, historic grassy area surrounded by good (but pricey) restaurants.

The park is enclosed by the Deûle River. You can see the river in the background. In order to access the park, you obviously have to cross the bridge.

When I took these photos, there was a circus going on. I didn't get to go, though I saw it many times as a child.

Not only is this the biggest park in Lille, it is my favorite park. I love walking here with friends and exploring the hidden trails. 

Here's a nice view of one of the main paths:

On one of the walls, you can see a memorial to a French spy during WWI, Léon Trulin.

Now, let's go see the actual Citadelle!

 Here's the Citadelle itself! It dates back to 1670. Construction began in 1667 by Vauban as ordered by King Louis XIV. It was built shortly after Lille became a part of France.

What else is there to do in the park? Well, there is zoo. There is also a nice area for children to play. Here is a mini train ride, modeled after the Gare de Lille Flandres, the oldest train station in Lille.

Here you can see a playground and a carousel.

I rode the carousel. Why not?!

 Here's the entrance to the zoo:

Who wants to explore the park on an empty stomach? Not me. Guess what I got to eat!

That's right: fries. Lille is known for its frites.

 There was also a balloon vendor, and I had to take a pic of the Pinkie Pie balloons for my friend Lilly; Pinkie Pie is her favorite pony!

I had to photograph this Elsa balloon for Sandrine:

This bird costume is actually pretty creepy:

Near the Citadelle, there is the Jardin Vauban, which features a stunning grotto.

When my friends and I were little, we loved to play make-believe games here. Couldn't you imagine pretending to be a mermaid in here?

There are steps that lead to the top of the grotto, which is a nice place to relax and read.

If you look down below, you can see a cute little cottage in the middle of the pond. Julien and I once jumped in and swam to it. Hey, we were 8 and didn't really know better.

As you leave the park down the Boulevard Vauban, you will find the Palais Rameau. It was designated as a historical landmark in 2002, but despite that, it's only partially renovated. It's a beautiful building, even if parts of it look like it was left to rot. The greenhouse in the back is stunning and hosted several expositions, 

I hope you enjoyed the tour of the Citadelle and Jardin Vauban. Do you have a favorite park?

A tout!

~Sabine