Lille

The last three days of my vacation were spent in the northern city of Lille. It seemed like such a random city to visit and we were asked on several occasions why we were there. Apparently, not many Americans visit Lille so we were treated with a lot of enthusiasm and graciousness! We were asked on several occasion if we were British (and on one occasion German). Northern France is known for its hospitality and friendliness and I can now vouch for this! C'est vrai! Every one we met was incredibly nice.

We were fortunate enough to get in contact with a local guy who took us out at night and gave us tips on what do to in the city. I don't think our trip would have been the same without him and his local knowledge. He introduced us to several of his friends and we ended up having a great time! I think without the guidance of a local, Lille isn't all that great of a city if you go on vacation. There are some museums but other than that, I'd say there's not much to do if you're not in the loop.

The first day we went to La Piscine (The Swimming Pool). It's an old pool converted into a museum. They had some interesting pieces of art and is definitely worth checking out if you're ever in the north. That night our newly found friend took us to a bar to enjoy some live music (one band played traditional music of the north - very cool and cultural!).

On day two we ate at the Restaurant Universitaire for 2,85euros (its similar to the university restaurant in Montpellier - a lot of food for less than 3euros) and took a guided tour of the city. Honestly, the tour wasn't worth the price. We didn't see anything incredibly exciting and I'd say it was too long (2 and half hours of walking!). That night we went to the Palais des Beaux-Arts, a huge museum. They were having a nocturnal exhibition, free for students. Students from the college of architecture showed off their unique chair designs and we saw a "concert" from John Cage. Actually, this was a concert de silence...He sat at a piano and didn't play for 4 minutes and 33 seconds....Very strange. I guess it was what some would call l'ART.

On day three we walked around La Citadelle and the zoo. There were two red pandas (the cutest animals ever)! For dinner we ate faluche with regional cheese and drank beer at an awesome restaurant which was recommended to us by a man at our hostel. While the south of France is known for its wine, northern France is known for its beer. Try a kriek (cherry flavored beer from Belgium), its amazing! The name of the place is La Pate à Sel - go there, I highly recommend it. After dinner we went to quiz night at a bar with some locals and ended up having an great night out.

My friend and I bought Lille t-shirts and we shall wear them proudly!

Chantilly

Day three of my northern France trip lead me to Chantilly. It was about a 25 minute train ride from Paris... The total cost of a round trip ticket from Gare Paris Nord is 7euros with a 12-25 card. The reason we went was to see the Chateau de Chantilly. I have a strange affinity for castles so if I'm near one I want to go. I spent a few days traveling around castles in the Loire Valley a few years ago and absolutely loved every minute of it. Chantilly, however, is not a royal residence for kings or queens, but a chateau built for the descendants and relatives of the royal family. Most notably, the grand Prince de Conde, Louis II de Bourbon.

The Princes de Conde loved to hunt and race horses. The chateau is decorated with several hunting paintings and there is a large horse stable and race track on the grounds. The parc is huge and unfortunately we didn't have enough time to see it all. I want to go back just to finish walking around the gardens!

There is a museum located in the chateau called the Musee Conde, which houses the second richest collections of artwork, second to the Louvre.

Paris

This past week was winter break so I headed off to northern France with a friend for six days. I spent two days in Paris, one day in Chantilly and three days in Lille. Most students decided to voyage in other surrounding countries, such as England, Ireland, or Italy, but I came to the conclusion that I am studying abroad in France to learn French, therefore I want to spend as much times as possible speaking the language. There is so much to see in France that I could spend a life time exploring every corner. I've never been to the north of France so that's basically why we choose Chantilly and Lille. Paris, I've been there but my friend wanted to go so we could meet up with her other friends.

So the first day we arrived on TGV and checked into our auberge de jeunesse (youth hostel). We stayed at L'Auberge Internationale des Jeunes...It wasn't anything to get excited about but I would probably stay there again if I were in Paris. The price was cheap and the accommodations were fine.

We went to Pere Lachaise cemetery with the intention of seeing Edith Piaf's tomb. There was a map at the entrance that showed the locations of all the famous people buried there but, after over an hour of searching, we couldn't find Edith! What a disappointment...I think the map was wrong because we looked all over for her :( We then successfully found Jim Morrison's tomb which was easy to find because there were a bunch of people crowded around it.

We then went to Montmartre and walked around Sacre Coeur. It was a beautiful, chilly day so I got some gorgeous photos from the top.

During day two, we ate lunch near Notre Dame on Ile-de-la-Cite, took a stroll around the Tuileries and eventually ended up at Cite de Science et de l'Industrie. We later went out to an Irish pub that night.

En grève, encore

Another day, another strike...

I went to class today and the teacher showed up 20 minutes late to tell us that she's on strike indefinitely...Apparently the Francophonie literature department has some beef to fry with the heads of the university so they won't work until they're needs are satisfied. Perhaps I should consider teaching in France after I graduate. I would have job security until death and get plenty of vacation days! I could also b.s. my way through assessment and give all my students 11 out of 20, because there's no such thing as perfect grades in France.
I hope they can reach some sort of compromise because I really need the credit for this class. This strike could go on for months which would result in the cancellation of the course! Eek!

In other news, it's been raining for the last four days. I had the most miserable walk to school yesterday because of the torrential downpour. The pavement here is so uneven that you're forced to walk in an inch of water everywhere you go. And then there's always the inevitable two-feet deep puddle every couple of yards. My shoes are still drying and my pants were soaked well past the knees! Fortunately, tomorrow looks sunny and pleasant :)

I just finished the details on my winter break trip! I booked my trains and hostels for the week and I'm ready to go! I leave next Saturday - I'll be in Paris for three days and Lille for three days. ON Y VA!