17/02/2010 - 12H30 => News Schedules !
	Thursday 18 : - BU 17 begin has 17h, except for the heads of series which will play only the following day from 10h, i.e.: Tom DEMULDER, Moustafa BAYOUMI, Martin SVEC, Oliver HOLLAND - BU 15 play from 17h and finish has 21h40 - BU 19 begin has 18h45, except the heads of series which will play only the following day from 10h45, i.e.: Rudy ROHRMULLER, Nicolas HOPCROFT, Lucas SERME, Aditya JAGTAP, Robert DOWNER Friday 19 : - the GU 13, the GU 15, the GU 17 and the BU 13 begin at 9h. - the GU19 begin at 10h10
	REMINDER - ESF RULES Finalised draws for the event will only be posted at the squash centre at the start of the event. Draw information must not be provided in any published documentation or sent to anyone before the event starts.

A warm welcome to everyone, we’re absolutely delighted to have you here in “Ch’ti” country !

Of course there are squash courts all over the place, and this is even why you’re here, but let me assure you that there so many other things besides, so many discoveries along the way, some of which are cultural, culinary, artistic or just social. A real awesome country, this “ch’ti” country…

First, the must-see must-go places:

- The Great Square (“grand place”), with its Flemish architecture, its fountain and old stock exchange. This is the most-photographed place in the city. The old stock exchange is a masterpiece of Flemish design, and undoubtedly the most fascinating building in the region. It was built back in 1652. When going there, once you’ve enjoyed the sights all around you, a second-hand book market and chess contests are awaiting you. Nearby are the belfry, the large pedestrian precincts, the old town (“vieux-Lille”) and its many-coloured houses. Also there is the Furet du Nord, one of the largest bookshops in the world.

- The Place de la Republique is framed by the regional council (built in 1865) and, on the other side, by the museum of fine arts, whose collections are displayed on some 22 000 square yards. From this square you walk into Rue Gambetta, at the end of which you get the Marché de Wazemmes (market) on Sunday mornings: this is a not-to-be-missed event, a huge market selling a whole lot of things, fraught with the flavours of rich spices, good bargains are everywhere, you enjoy a coffee to the sound of the accordion music: a glorious day has begun…

After your games, you may want to have a hearty meal someplace and, before going back to the hotel, what about enjoying a good beer, in a nice friendly atmosphere ?
Bars and restaurants are many of course, but because you have precious little time, this is a short list of places where restaurants are varied and aplenty:
Rue de Gand, literally full of restaurants, and once you’ve passed the Place Louise de Bettignies, the gorgeous Rue de la Monnaie. There you will find a few “estaminets” (Flemish pubs) where you may enjoy the many local specialities: welsh, potje’vlesh, Flemish beef/ beer stew (called “carbonade flamande”), speculoos (biscuit) desserts or ice-cream.
You may also go to Place Rihour (next to Great Square) which has many brasseries, a few of which are open all night.

Don’t forget to go to Meert, rue Esquermoise, a superb building dated 1761 which has gorgeous frescoes, a carved counter, fine arabesques and mouldings, very well-known for their delicate vanilla-filled waffles, which none other than General de Gaulle used to love so much !
If you’re in for late-night pub-crawl, you can go to Rue Masséna and Rue Solférino, awash with student bars of all styles.
It’s up to you really: atmospheres are varied, but everywhere you will enjoy Northern or Belgian beers.

Now it might be about time to go back to your hotel: you’ve got a game tomorrow, haven’t you ?