Dajti Diva Meets La Diva de Douai in FRANCE

The Dajti Diva left her Albanian Luminous Lakeside Sanctuary to spend a few weeks in a rather unknown region of France, le Nord near Lille and the Belgian border made famous in the French 2008 hit film, Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis directed by Danny Boon.

Will Smith recently purchased the rights to this film and is making an American version called Welcome to The Sticks, in the hopes of topping Titanic's box office success, as it did here in France.

The Dajti Diva met up with her French friend of 19 years, La Diva de Douai (a city 35 km south of Lille) to share some cultural observations of France: how much France has changed since I was last here in 1998; some silly tidbits about the Nord Pas de Calais region of France, and how so many things are, well, just BETTER in France.

For all of my Francophone readers and followers, please Netflix Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis. I promise you will laugh and develop a deep craving for a fricadelle, a fifteen centimeter sausage that people in the north flock to the baraques à frites which I suppose Americans would call a Fry Shack.


Lille is one of the largest cities in France and offers annual expositions with rather quirky themes. This year's theme is La Parade des Anges et Demons, The Parade of Angels and Devils, however it is actually twelve, six meter high GIANT black sculptures of babies made in Spain displayed on Lille's broad Rue Faidherbe. Lille's gastronomic delights reflect those typical of Belgium, such as Moule Frites, Waterzoi, potjevleesch, REALLY stinky cheeses such as Maroilles and the truly putrid Vieux Lille.