City walks

On Wednesday morning we got notice that the eight pieces of luggage we had shipped from Virginia had arrived in Lille and were out for delivery with DHL. Our doorway down an alley doesn't really have an actual address and weren't at all sure that a driver would find us so we took turns hanging out in the Place du Lion d'Or looking out for a confused delivery driver. Clay spotted him about 3:00 p.m.; he was in the right place but with no nowhere to park and he had come up a one-way street in the wrong direction. We eventually just off-loaded the bags and we wheeled them down the alley. 

We unpacked a few of them but it soon became clear that we didn't need or have room for everything we had brought. Some will remain packed away for now and probably go to a storage unit until we've rented a bigger place. Wednesday was our 29th anniversary so we went out for dinner at an estaminet, which is a restaurant featuring local cuisine. I couldn't read the menu of course, but I saw andouille sausage which I love and ordered that. However, the French take on andouille is a bit different from the Cajun version that I knew. It was locally and recently made, I'm sure, and they don't bother to spice it or grind it so fine as to disguise what it is made from. Let's just say that it was a bit advanced for my American palette. The cheese tart that we started with was delicious and also typically French. It was a good experience but I have a lot of learn. 

With the luggage delivered we had Thursday morning free so I took Bailey on another hike around the Citadel and Clay went off to look at apartment locations. This is definitely going to be our primary walking area. They take a minimalist approach to maintenance, so there's a lot of natural growth around the canals that encircle the citadel. We saw baby ducks, lots of wildflowers, and sheep that were brought in to graze in lieu of mowing. The sheep were contained in a fenced area that could be adjusted and moved as needed. Most of them were sleeping as we walked by but one jumped up and proved to be a livestock guardian dog rather than one of the sheep. The dog ran over the fence and gave a small growl as we passed to make it clear to Bailey that the sheep were under protection. Message received and we continued on our way.

Bailey, laying next to rather than on her new bed, but she does use it.

Waiting for DHL driver in the Place du Lion d'Or on Wednesday

Pretty bridge over canal 

View from said bridge

I've gone to just using a slip lead and not the gentle leader on some of our walks.

One of these sheep is actually a dog.

He gave a polite but firm warning, which we heeded.

People without dogs were just ignored.

Duckling making its way back to the nest.

Some of the wildflowers are familiar like this Queen Anne's Lace,

although it probably has a different name here, I don't know.

After crossing the canal again as we left the Citadel we stopped to sit on a park bench for a bit before heading back through the city streets.