Bordering France and Belgium, the Flemish-influenced old town, Vieux Lille, is très charmant and centers round La Grande Place, a 17th-century square. A visit to the town is incomplete and not using a stop on the Opéra de Lille (remodeled in the early 1900s after the 18th-century authentic went up in flames), the Palais des Beaux Arts , and Méert, a patisserie famed for its gaufres . One of the city’s greatest offerings is the accessibility of its surroundings, from the lavish glamour of close by Versailles to the quaint allure of Barbizon’s artist village within the Fontainebleau Forest. Since…