www.theblisspages.com - travel: France - Lille
www.theblisspages.com - travel: France - LilleLinks on this page: preparation : journey : arrival : teachers : students : friday classes : sightseeing : saturday classes : le meunier : le latina : sunday market : conclusion : lisez en Français
I had a very enjoyable Salsa weekend at the end of August 2003, and here is a personal view of how it went. I can't wait until the next one! See my main Salsa page.
Lille is between Paris, London and Brussels, and the three star Novotel Lille Flandres is in the city centre. The trip was very reasonably priced at £85 including coach travel from East Sussex via Seafrance Dover-Calais, accommodation and breakfasts, classes and dances, but with a £30 supplement for single rooms.
Paul & Lindsay Newton-Palmer from Uckfield were the teachers. Jonathan went there to reconnoitre on 19 August 2003 and met up with a French Salsa dance group. We used their studio for a couple of classes and encouraged their members to come and join us. I am already looking forward to the next trip! Email Jonathan at swingshift@connectfree.co.uk for details of future trips.
Note that you can click on most pictures to get a larger version. Please email me with any errata, comments etc.
topI am not an expert at traveling light, despite my extensive travels. For three days, five shirts and three pairs of trousers and shoes could be considered excessive by some!
I also had a modicum of electronic toys: my PDA for crafting this report, my p800 phone for music and communication, speakers, two sets of headphones, a digital camera, and mains PSUs for all the above. I also had a couple of magazines and two appropriate books, Coastliners by Joanne Harris and Bon Appétit! by Peter Mayle - predictably, I didn't get any time to read them during the trip.
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The rain was driving down as I arrived at Maresfield Village Hall for the coach pick-up. I could see faces peering out from every car as we waited. On time, a purple coach hove into sight and we piled on.
We had a good journey to Dover, helped by open sandwiches and drinks, cheerfully delivered by Fleur and Rachel, despite ferocious hangovers!
The ferry crossing was uneventful.
We stopped off at Auchen, the Calais hypermarket, and I topped up my cellar, buying 3 cases of wine - at less than £2 per bottle.
We then continued our journey, arriving in Lille in plenty of time.
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The three star Novotel Lille Flandres is in the city centre and was convenient for restaurants, wandering round the old town on foot and of course, Salsa clubs. There is a good public transport system, but we didn't need to use it. A Lille Metropole City Pass includes public transport, museums and monuments - all for 15€ for 1 day, 25€ for two days or 30€ for three.
The hotel room was very nice, with a decently sized bath with plenty of hot water, TV, mini-bar and double bed - though I do prefer the goose-down pillows and duvet I've treated myself to at home!
There were some games in the lobby, varying from the wooden forerunner to Air Hockey that you see Kit and Lindsay playing, to a Playstation 2 that I never got time to try out.
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Paul & Lindsay Newton-Palmer from Uckfield were the teachers on this trip and I thought they were very good, as well as friendly.
They run classes under the name Ezyfeet Dance at Maresfield Village Hall.
Email ezyfeet@hotmail.com for further details.
Apart from a very impressive sequence I shall attempt to describe later, I also received some useful individualised feedback.
We were a very varied crowd. There were people who had never danced Salsa before, through intermediates like me, to advanced dancers. The age range was from fifteen to fifties, and there were some couples, but the majority of people had come alone or with friends.
I knew Jonathan from the White Hart in Lewes, Mike and Guy from Babylon Lounge in Hove and the White Hart, and most of the others knew each other from various venues such as High Rocks in Tunbridge Wells, and Ezyfeet Dance. By the end of the weekend, we all knew each other much better, and I look forwards to seeing everyone again at different venues.
I've already been emailed by six of the people from the trip ... keep them coming!
The classes were at a local Salsa Studio, temps Danse Urbaine, and we were joined by some of the local dancers, eager to try Salsa, whose popularity is growing in France. The studio was interesting, irregular in shape, with huge mirrors down one wall.
We started with Rueda (which means 'wheel'), a style of dance where you are in a circle and keep changing partners during the dance.
As most of us spoke little French and some of the locals had limited English, there was some confusion during the lesson, but this didn't detract from the enjoyment.
Men and women take turns to do some of the steps, and I occasionally found it difficult to distinguish between les femmes (pronounced 'lei fem') and the men, when shouted over the music!
...but mostly, the rounds went smoothly, it was fun, and everyone seemed to enjoy it, although personally, I prefer dancing with one partner at a time as I don't feel I have enough time to settle into a rhythm when changing partner every few seconds.
We then did some Merengue, a very sensual style of dancing which is to a different and simpler beat than Salsa.
Instead of the three step and pause rhythm of Salsa, you just shift your weight from hip to hip.
I hear that Merengue is actually considerably more popular than Salsa in Latin America.
After the dancing, we walked back to the centre of town through the heavy drizzle, wet but buoyed up with the buzz of the Salsa.
We went to an all-night cafe in the Place du Général de Gaulle and had a nice meal, washed down with a bottle of Château Pichon Le Mayne 2000, a Graves de Vayres.
We chatted so much that the time flew past, and we got back to the hotel around two in the morning.
On Saturday, the weather changed for the better, becoming warm and sunny.
After a filling buffet breakfast at the hotel, we wandered around in small groups.
Despite Lille being the fifth biggest city in France, with a population of over a million, I bumped into all but three of our party in the course of my perambulations.
I enjoyed my wanderings - Lille is a pretty city. If you want some more information about Lille, check the World Facts website.
The Vieille Bourse was built in 1652-3 in Flemish Renaissance style.
Inside is a courtyard with booksellers and people playing chess.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de la Treille is a strange building, construction starting in 1854 on the ruins of the first castle of the counts of Flanders.
The modern facade was built in 1999, and I didn't like it at all - it is totally out-of-keeping with the rest of the building.
What do you think?
Back to the temps Danse Urbaine and we started with some novel stretching exercises. Moving the hips and then the ribcage forwards, left, back and right, is surprisingly challenging, but fun.
We then did some more Merengue before splitting into two groups for the Salsa class, which I really enjoyed.
The beginners practiced the basic steps, but I braved the combined intermediate and advanced class, and learnt a fantastic new sequence which I have already incorporated into my repertoire!
Words are an inadequate medium to describe dance moves which frequently have no formal name, but basically, it's a:
After mastering this manoeuvre, we danced with Paul observing us. He offered very helpful individualised feedback on areas where we were experiencing difficulty, which has already improved the way I lead the dance.
After I returned from Lille, I went off to Sunday night Salsa at the White Hart, and successfully managed this sequence with five different partners during the evening (none of whom had ever attempted it before).
We split into various groups for the Saturday meal, and I was very happy with the choice I made. This restaurant was fantastic, and will make my world-wide top ten. Their website is at www.le-meunier.fr.st. We were upstairs, and the staff were very friendly. I liked the ambience. Le Meunier is at 15, Rue de Tournai.
The 19€ menu included an apéritif, four courses and white and red wine - three bottles in total for two people. What fantastic value! I had the 14€ menu with a couple of extras...
I started with a little white wine with a couple of oysters, then had a dozen escargots in a sizzling garlic butter sauce.
My main course was guinea-fowl from Licques with cèpes, accompanied with a superb half-bottle of Lalande-de-Pomerol, a 2000 Chateau Fougeail, I seem to remember.
I finished with a "Myrtilles" tart with fruit sauce and ice-cream, and strong black coffee.
Suitably replete, but considerably behind schedule, we rushed off to the Le Latina Café.
Entrance to the café was free, but water was 3€ for a small bottle. The club, at 42/44 Rue Masséna, widens from an interesting narrow passage to the dance area and bar.
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The music was salsa from 21:00 until 23:30 but I arrived very late and only got one dance before the music switched to Merengue.
All too soon, it switched again, to a predictable and monotonous beat that wasn't much fun to dance to.
Before our journey home, we wandered around the street market in Rue Léon Gambetta.
On my way to the market, I was listening to Salsa on my headphones, and found it difficult to keep walking - I just wanted to dance, so the rhythms are starting to get to me.
The market spread over several streets and there were many clothes. I just bought three belts - unusually restrained of me.
There were various items of brik-a-brak which took my fancy, including some parrot candlesticks at over £200, but luckily, when I re-passed the stall, they had gone.
The chickens were appetising, as was all the fast food, but I manfully resisted all temptations. The mint tea smelt very aromatic and reminded me of a souk - in fact, I've just gone out to the back garden and made myself a cup as I was writing this.
The vegetables also looked very good and the flowers were lovely.
It was a shame that we wouldn't be there a week later, as there is a huge market in Lille on the first week every September - I believe the largest in Europe.
All too soon, I had to retrace my steps back to the hotel ready for the journey home.
What a great weekend! Everyone was very friendly, and if I didn't get many dances, that was down to my lack of self-confidence, rather than any reluctance on behalf of prospective dance partners. The day I got back, I went to the White Hart in Lewes and danced with more people than ever before - so my confidence must have improved!
I am looking forwards to the next trip that Jonathan organises in the future, and will publicise it on theblisspages.
Highly recommended.
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: © Mike Bliss 2008