Lille in northern France is infinitely more than a Springsteen concert.  First, it was about people.  Here are two lovely folks from Ireland.  We sat beside each other on a big square near Grand Place … watching all manner of humanity pass by and weaving together stories from our lives.

Then there was Pizzeria Il Piccolino on an out-of-the-way street near the centrum.  What you see is my favourite meal in the world – pesto pasta, supplemented by an Italian beer and delightful conversation.  A 21-year-old woman was being fêted by her mother in celebration of a young birthday.  I did what any normal human being would do … sang her “Joyeuse Anniversaire à Toi”.  All three of us smiled.

A place to rest and watch people sitting, picnicking and throwing a long ball-and-ribbon to their dog.  On a lazy Monday afternoon.

I liked all the iron railings on all the balconies.  I just wished people had been on them, enjoying the air with me.

One more:

Lille … turning worlds upside down