Day 17 -- Saint Etienne to Lille

Saturday, 23 September 2023

Not quite as early a morning as yesterday. I took the tram to the train station for a 9:00 a.m. train to Lille, via Lyon. I got to Lille a wee bit early to check in to the hotel, so I walked in the general direction of the hotel and looked for a place to get lunch. I saw the Thai street food place that I walked by a few times the last time I was in Lille, called "Thai Street Food by Tony". It reminded me of the conversation I had many years ago with my mother.

Me: Mom, what's that interior design place that cousin Toni works for?

Mom: The interior design firm.

Me: Yeah, what's the name?

Mom: It's the interior design firm.

Me: Yeah, that's what I'm asking. What's the name of it?

Mom: Toni works at The Interior Design Firm.

Me: Ugh. I don't think you are understanding my question. I want to know the name of the interior design firm that Toni works at.

Mom: I don't think you are understanding my answer. The name of the interior design firm that Toni works at is "The Interior Design Firm".

So now it's "Hey, what's the name of Tony's Thai street food place?" Umm, you mean "Thai Street Food by Tony"? 😀 

Anyway, Google told me that Thai Street Food by Tony was open. When I got there, there was a chalkboard in the door window [Hmmm, "door window"? That seems like an odd phrase, but I guess it's the best term.] saying something that I roughly translated as "Gone running. Back at 3:00." Maybe really running? Maybe running an errand? Either way, it was 3:10, so I'll have to try Tony's Thai street food next time. I checked into the hotel and saw that there was a Big Fernand near one of the Metro stops that lead to the stadium. The Big Fernand in Nice was one of the best burgers I've had in a long time, so I headed that way. Sorry Tony -- Fernand wins this time.

The clerk at Big Fernand enjoyed my attempts at French, but she was happy to switch to English. She said she had been practicing her English lately in anticipation of the World Cup, knowing that a lot of English speakers would be coming to town. Her practice was successful -- I could understand her quite clearly.

Another Bartholome burger and gargandine fries at Big Fernand

The Metro station was really close to Big Fernand so I just went right from there to the England v. Chile match. Then a Metro ride and a nice walk back to the hotel to end the day.

The Grand Plaza was lit up in World Cup colors

I'm not sure what kind of oak these are from, but they are the most elongated acorns I've ever seen. Probably quercus rober

...doug