Magnificent weekend with Angelique Derome

I spent a fabulous weekend with Angelique Derome and her family at their home in Old Lille! We walked home from work together and went to pick up her two kids from school. They are both bright little redheads and adorable. The oldest is named Léa and the younger, Sacha, 11 and 5 respectively. They both had fun personalities though Sacha warmed up more quickly to me. He told me detailed stories of his favorite parts of Harry Potter and it was so adorable, I couldn’t resist snatching a little video of it. Unfortunately I can’t rotate the clip but I thought I’d include it anyway. The first evening Angelique made a fancy meal starting with a tuna puff aperitif. Her husband was slightly disappointed when she said I didn’t drink, seeing as he had already splurged on nice champagne. The meal was delicious and it was delightful to hear about how they live and also about their interests. The cheese course contained four new types that I’d never tasted and three of which I loved. Maroilles is the typical cheese of Lille, very strong, and those who like it are true northerners. It grew on me after a few days however the cheese with the grey line down the middle had a strange and bitter taste. That evening we watched “Il était une fois…” – Enchanted – translated into French; even the songs! This was a treat for the children because they are rarely allowed to watch tv in the evenings. I slept on the very top floor of their beautiful two hundred year old home. In the morning I explored the house more and was fascinated by the many unique objects and antiques. Every painting in their home is an original; my favorite is one of a little cherub. They also own a wooden statue of a similar angel posed on a rod and stone. Both Angelique and her husband Cédric enjoy going to “braderies” and hunting for the treasures amidst the piles of junk being sold. They have some priceless objects which they never intend to sell such as a silver lamp that at one point was an ancient brass relic in a cathedral. When Cédric bought it, a silversmith offered to dip it in silver for him. He did so and then attached wires to turn it into a lamp and now it stands stunningly in their living room. Another of my favorite objects was a golden table with beautiful figures carved into the edges. Since they met twenty years ago, Angelique and Cédric have bought eleven apartments and houses, one at a time, and fixed them up to sell them for a profit. They finally saved enough to buy this home in a charming neighborhood on the Rue Royale in Old Lille, a dream for many Lillois. Saturday afternoon, they spoiled me and took me up to Bruges, Belgium. Though I’d been once before it was raining cats and dogs so this time it was splendid to be able to actually see the city! Upon entering we saw a flock of swans and several babies sitting near their mother. We made our way up and down the tiny streets, of course stopping for the world famous Belgian chocolate and hot chocolate (worthy of its title). The city of Bruges was in fact destroyed during the Second World War but while being rebuilt, it was decided to reconstruct it in its historic style. Thus, we still see the Flemish colors and architecture and stair-stepped roofs. (However, those, I learned, were actually brought with the Spanish influence when they came to conquer the North.) There are several artists who paint in the streets in hopes to sell their work. Finally, I admit that undoubtedly my favorite part of Bruges was our visit to Notre Dame de Bruges. The Cathedral holds Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child statue, a marvel to behold. Speaking is not allowed in this area and the sacredness of the theme of Mary and baby Jesus was moving. The statue was made of marble in 1504 and I was interested to learn that Michelangelo’s depiction of this scene differs significantly from earlier representations of the same subject, which, as I read, “tended to feature a pious Virgin smiling down on an infant held in her arms.” Here, instead, Jesus stands upright, almost unsupported, “only loosely restrained by Mary's left hand, and appears to be about to step away from his mother and into the world. Meanwhile, Mary does not cling to her son or even look at him, but gazes down and away, as if she knows already what is to be her son's fate.” An interesting commentary I thought.
At the end of a fabulous day we drove back to Lille and ate a delicious meal featuring escargots. I don’t know if I will ever crave these slimy snails drowning in garlic, however I managed to stomach three of them and have the shells and a picture to prove it. Sunday was Mother’s Day in France and the primary sang an adorable medley. After church we walked around Old Lille and through the Hospice Comtesse, an old hospital that was stopped in 1721 and turned into a museum. My favorite piece was a striking old globe painted with both geographical and artistic images. I would put it in my house in a heartbeat. All in all it was an exciting weekend full of discoveries! A bientot…