A plethera of invites by the Van Peteghems

Last weekend was a so joyful because…my family came! My Grandma Koller, Aunt Kathie, and sister Hillary came to visit for two days on their way home from Spain! I had awaited this weekend the whole trip and it was wonderful to be with them! Unfortunately there were train mixups so they didn’t arrive until late Friday night but we still had time to go to my favorite little student restaurant. The next day I took them to the university to meet Dean Van Peteghem and show them around. Then I took them through Old Lille to Notre Dame de la Treille and the little monastic artisan shop that’s in the basement. We made a quick stop at one of the modern Russian exhibits for Lille XXL. Next we took a bus tour that gave us a good dose of history. Then, to hold up tradition of always getting our hair done while on vacation, we went to a startling modern salon called “Nouvel Hair.” The décor there was eclectic – things hanging from the ceilings and walls, crushed mirrors pieced together, etc… We came out looking lovely! We then strolled back through Saint Maurice’s Cathedral and admired the stained glass and paintings. That night I took them to one of my favorite restaurants called Tramonata and to my delight everyone thought it was delicious. The next day we went to church and I translated for Grandma while a missionary translated for Hilly and Kathie. Then, we took a boat tour down the Deûle river. Suffice it to say that the boat was not simple to navigate, but once we got the hang of it we enjoyed looking at the ducks, homes on the bank, and even a stork! Following that, we spent three hours in the Palais des Beaux Arts (Museum of Fine Arts) which is the second biggest in France next to the Louvre. A kind man offered us tickets for free and we had a nice chat with him afterward. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Rodin sculptures, Rubens paintings, and other lesser known Flemish artwork. That evening, we all went to Les Compagnons de la Grappe, a restaurant on a hidden terrace tucked back away from cars and noise. We thoroughly enjoyed eating “la langue du chat” literally “Cat’s tongue” but is really a great cut of beef. The next morning when they left to fly home I was sad to see them part without me. I’m so glad we could spend the weekend together! I’ll have to get Hilly’s pictures to upload on here since we mostly used her camera.
Continuing on, this week has been a fabulous one full of invitations and interesting outings! Tuesday night I went to the end-of-year cocktail for all the professors and employees and the president of the university, Therèse Lebrun, spoke. I had the chance to shake her hand afterward; the dean introduced me to her, and it was slightly ironic because I said, “Je suis ravie d’être ici parmi vous à la catho,” and she replied, “We are thrilled to have you interning here and hope you feel welcome.” Haha…we were both trying to accommodate for the other. It was neat to see all the colleges unite together since all the departments aren’t situated on a campus like ours are. After the speech there were the most beautiful hors d’oeuvres and champagne (or apricot juice for the pregnant women and oh yeah, for me :)) Later that night I walked with Didier to a museum where we met his wife and kids and toured through what is called the “Gare Saint Sauveur” – They have taken an old train station and created a time traveling hotel where each room is from a different decade. It was fun to see the 60’s-70’s rooms all decked out in orange, lime green, waterbeds, fake wood, shag carpet, old radios, etc… They had typical shows of the eras playing on the room’s TV’s and pictures of celebrities of the time period hanging on the walls. Unfortunately I couldn’t take any pictures so the picture is just one off the internet. Then we went for a drink and a snack in the lobby of the classiest hotel in Lille called the Hospice Gantois.
The next day Marie Van Peteghem and I had agreed to exchange an English lesson from me for a little sightseeing. So, I had three eleven year old pupils: Agathe Van Peteghem, Camille Lepoutre, and Alix Dilly. They were as cute as can be; for two hours we spoke half English half French and played guessing games, learned “Row Row Row Your Boat” etc…Then, I went with their mothers to visit the Bouvines Cathedral. This church is where the Battle of Bouvines took place which I learned is the battle which ended the twelve year war between France and England. It then led to King John of England being forced to sign the Magna Carta. Inside I learned that this is the only church in France where the stained glass windows are of war scenes, not religious depictions. The inscription picture is Latin for "Catholic University" and the statue is the matron saint of the University I believe, & I thought both were pretty as I was walking to work one day. I’ll call it quits for now and finish updating later xo à bientôt