More adventures in Lille

We had a pretty busy social calendar last week, but of course everything revolves around Bailey's twice daily walking schedule.

Thursday evening at the opera was another dance performance. It was modern and quite weird. Can't say that I really enjoyed much of it but it was an experience and I don't regret going. We did have great seats. We had a beer on the way home and all was made right.

Friday night we went to a performance of Sheherazade by a local symphony orchestra. It was very good musically, and it took place in the Eglise Sainte Catherine, a local church that we hadn't yet visited. The church was quite beautiful, with a vaulted wooden ceiling that looked like it had been constructed by ship builders. There was also a good amount of 16th century Flemish art hanging on the walls. The church doesn't seem to be open much (none of them have much of a local congregation any more), but it was in much better condition than two of the other nearby churches that we've visited. Interesting fact about churches in France, virtually all of them, including Notre Dame, are actually owned (since 1905) by the French government. 

Saturday night we went to performance put on by what I guess is a circus training school. The students included jugglers, acrobats, and aerialists. It seemed to be a performance put on by the school to give its students stage experience in front of a live audience. I'm guessing the audience included a lot of friends and family; it was a friendly and supportive crowd. I'm also pretty sure we were the only Americans in attendance. I'm not sure we'd do it again, but it was fun and they sold beer and popcorn. (We left at intermission.)

Sunday I had my usual long morning walk with Bailey and then went on a bike ride in the afternoon, leaving her at home to nap. This time I hopped on the subway and went to a new part of town. I picked up one of the city rental bikes at the metro stop and rode into some new (to me) green space. I'm not sure what the area is called but it's a series of small lakes with trails running along it. It seems to include a historic farm as well. There is also an archeological museum, the museum of modern art, and a museum of windmills in the area. The trails were great for bike riding. The really nice surprise for me was the wildlife. The lakes are in a protected area so they must be perfect for waterfowl nesting. I have never seen so many swans, including several broods with multiple cygnets swimming with their parents. There were so many swans on the largest of the lakes that they looked like seagulls. I'm getting somewhat accustomed to seeing swans on bodies of water here in France, but I still get a thrill from each sighting. 

The swans were great but I got an extra wildlife sighting today. I was riding past an open grassy field and spotted what, at first glance I first took to be a dog, but then realized it was a fox ("renard" in French). He was just standing in the middle of a field, a good distance from the trails. A couple of other people along with trail noticed him as well and stopped to watch and take his picture. 

It was a great ride. I got slightly lost on the far side of the lake, but found my way back. I made gazpacho after getting back home and cooked a pizza for dinner. My legs were tired but we still did Bailey's evening walk. Sunset is now after 10:00 p.m. so there was still plenty of time.

This little group of buildings was home to a pony club. I did some little ponies nearby but I don't know what that's all about. I stopped and played "Pink Pony Club" through my headphones.

Swans stick their heads under water to feed, which looks a little weird.

These are coots, a very common water bird around here.

The cygnets aren't as big or as white as the adults.

All those white spots, and many more, are swans.

Le renard

The museum of windmills includes an old mill. I'll go back to see it properly some day.

Still standing

A few people have contacted me recently because it's been a month since my last blog post. That's the longest I've gone without posting anything since I started this blog in 2008. First, all is well. No problems here. We've recently sailed past the ten month mark and will soon be looking at our first anniversary as French residents. 

There's a few reasons I haven't been posting. A few weeks ago we took a short trip to the Loire valley and visited a lot of chateaux. It was great and I came back with a LOT of pictures, so many that sitting down and organizing them proved to be a task too daunting and time-consuming for this retiree. So they have sat but I didn't post anything else because I thought I should get to them first. The second reason, I guess, is that I haven't really had anything to write about or anything different to post. Bailey and I walk twice a day, every day, but always the same place. She doesn't mind that and I really don't either, but there's not much variety in our routine and a lot of sameness in my pictures. 

We do keep fairly busy, however, and have been doing a deep dive in the French medical system (no problems, just getting set up with new doctors and routine exams and tests  appropriate for our age). Lille's gay pride event was at the end of May before Pride month even started. We've been to a few concerts at the opera, taken another history walk in another part of town, and gone on a couple of excursions by bus to points along the Deule. Spring still feels like spring. We had a few uncomfortably warm days but nothing like the temps I've seen and heard about back in Kansas and Virginia. The thing I really love about living at a higher latitude is the long days; sunset isn't until 10:00 p.m. and we are still a couple weeks away from summer Solstice. 

I will get around to posting the chateau pics from the Loire valley, but for now, here's some of the sameness that we've been enjoying. 

Looks like a lilac, but they are done blooming. This is something else.

Our turtle friends. We see them quite often on this spot.

I don't know how long poppy season lasts, but I hope it's all summer.

The Napoleon bridge after dark. 

At the Pride event.

We heard that the Pride parade was more political this year.

But, when has Pride NOT been political? Maybe some day.

On a wall on a street in Lille.

The local gay bar.

A stuffed duck at the brewery at the end of our street.