Lille and Lily, and the Amiens

We just had to visit the city of Lille for our Lily (also called lil).  It is actually quite a cool city. It seems to have survived remarkably intact given the devastation to many cities and towns around it from 2 world wars.  Many old pre war building are still intact and the city has a good pedestrian vibe to it.  We got a few pics of Lil in front of strategic signs, and basically just went for a wander.
We were sorry not to get to the Belgian border - this was as close as we got - really a stones throw but not quite there.
The city was also preparing for christmas with lights and decorations going up and the shop windows decorated, it was nice.

On the way back from the Somme to our friends' place west of Paris, we stopped in Amiens.  We had heard a lot about it and were expecting a lot, especially given  that Lille had survived so well.  Sadly, it was a bit disappointing. It is an architectural mishmash, with some buildings surviving the war, some beautiful art deco 20s buildings and some downright ugly post WWII buildings - sadly these seemed to be the majority.
However, it was a friendly city, well laid out for pedestrians with a young feel due to the number of University students.
The Cathedral notre dame is exceptional.  Absolutely beautiful and awe inspiring with lovely monuments to the war mixed in amongst the religious monuments.
We also found an Australian Bar which unfortunately was closed  but we got a pic anyway!