“A beautiful day in the neighborhood” as Mr. Rogers would say. I soaked in the sunshine all day long! Kami and I profited from finally having a weekend at home and walked to several of the places we hadn’t yet seen. On our way down the stairwell we realized that we’ve become quite endeared to the graffiti we pass, hence, the picture. We then walked to the City Hall in hopes to climb the belfry but discovered you must have a group reservation. We kept on our way and decided not to take any metros since the weather was so nice. Good thing-because we walked right into a strike! To the French, strikes are everyday annoyances, but to me they’re still exciting! Hundreds of workers were protesting having to work on Saturdays, to which I respond that I understand and support their fight against injustice ;). haha. Sooo kidding. The French complain about their 35 hour
work weeks and measly 6 weeks of paid vacation each year and I have no sympathy. While continuing up what I’ve decided is my favorite street in Old Lille, “Rue Esquermoise,” the strangest thing happened. All of a sudden Kami and I were surrounded by a dozen young men with cameras while one, dressed ridiculously, asked if he could take our picture. I was shell-shocked for a minute and trying not to giggle seeing as he was wearing his underwear on the outside of his pants along with a hardhat and clown shoes. I’m sure I looked confused because he finally gave an explanation saying it was his “enterrement de la vie de jeune garçon aujourd’hui.”
Literally, his “burial of his young-boy life,” more commonly known to Americans as his bachelor party. Once I understood that this was tradition for the groom-to-be to dress up and perform preset dares that his friends chose, it made a lot more sense. Apparently these parties often take place on Saturdays downtown and sure enough, we saw two more groups later this afternoon. I also passed a bride in a pink wedding dress looking like a melting pink cupcake and tired from the heat. Next, Kami and I crossed the city and headed into the Citadel, an enormous park that used to hold 28 fortressed towns and now is home to a zoo, a stadium, and lots of open forest area. I had to laugh when I saw a sign in the canal that lined the edges of the park: it said “Peche Interdite” “Fishing Forbidden.” I thought that seeing and smelling this water would be warning enough, but apparently the park authorities don’t think so. We walked around until our feet hurt and then headed for home.
“A beautiful day in the neighborhood” as Mr. Rogers would say. I soaked in the sunshine all day long! Kami and I profited from finally having a weekend at home and walked to several of the places we hadn’t yet seen. On our way down the stairwell we realized that we’ve become quite endeared to the graffiti we pass, hence, the picture. We then walked to the City Hall in hopes to climb the belfry but discovered you must have a group reservation. We kept on our way and decided not to take any metros since the weather was so nice. Good thing-because we walked right into a strike! To the French, strikes are everyday annoyances, but to me they’re still exciting! Hundreds of workers were protesting having to work on Saturdays, to which I respond that I understand and support their fight against injustice ;). haha. Sooo kidding. The French complain about their 35 hour
work weeks and measly 6 weeks of paid vacation each year and I have no sympathy. While continuing up what I’ve decided is my favorite street in Old Lille, “Rue Esquermoise,” the strangest thing happened. All of a sudden Kami and I were surrounded by a dozen young men with cameras while one, dressed ridiculously, asked if he could take our picture. I was shell-shocked for a minute and trying not to giggle seeing as he was wearing his underwear on the outside of his pants along with a hardhat and clown shoes. I’m sure I looked confused because he finally gave an explanation saying it was his “enterrement de la vie de jeune garçon aujourd’hui.” 
Literally, his “burial of his young-boy life,” more commonly known to Americans as his bachelor party. Once I understood that this was tradition for the groom-to-be to dress up and perform preset dares that his friends chose, it made a lot more sense. Apparently these parties often take place on Saturdays downtown and sure enough, we saw two more groups later this afternoon. I also passed a bride in a pink wedding dress looking like a melting pink cupcake and tired from the heat. Next, Kami and I crossed the city and headed into the Citadel, an enormous park that used to hold 28 fortressed towns and now is home to a zoo, a stadium, and lots of open forest area. I had to laugh when I saw a sign in the canal that lined the edges of the park: it said “Peche Interdite” “Fishing Forbidden.” I thought that seeing and smelling this water would be warning enough, but apparently the park authorities don’t think so. We walked around until our feet hurt and then headed for home.
2 comments:
Haleigh~
What a fun day of walking around Lille - always something to see! I wish the picture of the groom to be
was a full length shot - I would have loved to see his underware on the outside of his clothes! HaHa
Love You Forever,
Mama
great posts Haleigh. So fun to see what you do. Looks like a neat place to eat. When does Kami have to leave?:(
Post a Comment