The beginning of this month, I was still dealing with my sprained ankle. The filler in between the cobblestones in Lille is not completely up to the top edge as they are in most of Paris. There are sections continually being re-leveled in the city but there are still large areas yet to be worked on. Walking on the cobblestone sidewalks here is harder and one real misstep, as I mentioned last month coming home from the train station, gave me a good sprain.
As a result G did all the shopping, errand running and cooking during the first week, as I not only recovered from a cold but rested, iced, compress-bandaged and elevated the ankle. While it was wonderful to be waited on, not being able to do for one’s self gets old. We had tickets to see “All About Eve” in London at the Noel Coward Theatre with Gillian Anderson and Lily James, which I refused to miss.
I ordered an ankle brace online, bought a cane at the pharmacy and off we went by train to St. Pancras Station.
It was a fabulous play, we stayed overnight and then scuttled back home since walking around the city was rather out of the question on this trip. However, while in London, we managed to get over to Camden, Covent Garden, Piccadilly & Leicester Squares.
The trip to the US took care of setting up the bank account we needed but in the first two weeks, we still had a few hiccups in getting the first of the fund transfers through before prevailing and emerging victorious. It was a great weight off our shoulders and it was the last of our settling-in issues. It is the last you will read of our trials of bank issues.
The El Dorado Lille3000 Parade was on Saturday, the 4th at 7pm and it was so above and beyond outstanding. First, on a small foray along streets, we viewed the statues and street art.
Accidentally in our walk, we came across a Mexican food restaurant called Taco Memo, which had been opened in Lille just three months. Feasting on guacamole and chips, carnitas and barbaracoa burritos while washing it all down with beer, was heaven. We were even able to buy corn tortillas from them which tasted more authentic than the ones we’d found at the local markets. It was a fabulous find. The day we had returned we hung the Day of the Dead banner, which we had purchased in the US, across the balcony edging, in anticipation.
The evening turned out to be windy and very cold, so we bundled up and took out our stools with hot mugs of coffee to see it all. We even toasted up quesadillas with the newly purchased corn tortillas to celebrate.
The festivities began with a Mariachi band playing in front of the Opera House before the parade started from the train station square, down the street to the Opera House square and continued through the streets of Lille. The colors were fabulous, with large sculptured floats, costumed dancers and marching bands. Tons of skeletons, calaveras and Frieda Kahlo-dressed dancers. There were three large balloons; a long tethered snake, a turtle and a dolphin. The balloons came just to the height of our balcony and it was really exciting to be so close. People were hanging out of the windows and balconies all up and down the street. All the colors, costumes and music were great fun and the party lasted until 2am ending with fireworks. When we got up the next morning, every piece of equipment and evidence of the festival had magically disappeared.
The following weekend, a friend from Oakland came for the day on Saturday. After walking through town admiring the art, we went to a large indoor market which had some El Dorado performances. The market also had, among the regular food vendors, a temporary (or ‘pop-up’) Mexican goods market. They carried food items which we had not picked up in the US on our return trip to France because of our limited luggage space. So it was a great opportunity to stock up on canned whole green chilis, refried beans, dried hominy, molĆ© and more corn tortillas. What a wonderful find !
The next day, Sunday, G and I awoke to booming music on the street. Opening the balcony door, we found dancers, cheerleaders and a huge pack of runners at the ready. After some announcers and the start-off pistol, the runners took off. Where they ended up, we have no idea.
The weather was so pleasant this month, we spend quite a bit of time outside, walking, relaxing at cafe’s and even took in a movie. We hung up posters, I did a bit of mending and did other regular activities without any of the frantic to-do lists we had been known to work on previously.
We managed to appear at the Prefecture of Police for our residential permit. Upon arrival at the office, we were given a number, directed to, and waited in, a large room with chairs, along with other people, for an hour. When our number showed on the big screen on the front wall, we went to a numbered counter. The woman behind the glass had us sign forms and took our fingerprints. Our 1-year permit card will be mailed to us. We have a piece of paper, like a temporary drivers license, but with photos, until our cards come. They’re due some time in November and are good for another year. After we have had three sequential years of residential permit cards, we can apply for a longer term residential status which is good for a total of five years.
A week after the friend who visited for a day, we received three young relatives from Oregon, whom we dubbed āLas Chicas.ā Enthusiastic, energetic and armed with a bucket list. We picked them up at the train station and walked to our apartment while we explained the El Dorado statues lining the street and various historic buildings. After dropping their bags and touring our place, we went out to walk the town, shopping and enjoying each other’s company. Dinner at a favorite restaurant was fabulous and we tasted each other’s choices; tabbouleh with shrimp, duck lasagne, potato stuffed with veal and pork in a tasty sauce.
We put out a traditional French breakfast buffet for them in the mornings, that they absolutely loved. We had fresh daily croissants, beignets, yogurts, fresh pears, apples, cheeses, cold meats, salmon, hardboiled eggs, jams, fruit juices and coffee. With G they went out to see the Sunday farmers market and the Lille Notre Dame.
And as it was Sunday, the rest of the town was closed. While they were out, I put together the 13 French regional cheeses and wines, all labeled. We noshed and talked all afternoon. They enjoyed it tremendously and were extremely complimentary of the display.
That night, the change of seasons brought an onslaught of mosquitos. No screens on any of the windows. There are blogs and forums online about why the French residences do not have screens. The French joke is “Why put up screens? How will the flies get out?” The next day the girls got up and all were covered in mosquito bites. We gave them what anti itch medication we had. After breakfast, which we set out for them, they left that morning for a trip to Ghent.
We quickly ordered what we could get the fastest – a hanging hoop with mosquito netting that we could suspend above the bed, which arrived that afternoon before the girls returned that night. The one sleeping in the living room was not protected but the two in bedroom, were.
The next morning they all showed up again with multiple bug bites. The two under the hoop had tossed and turned enough to open the flaps, thus trapping mosquitos IN with them. Obviously not a working solution. After breakfast, they packed for Paris, leaving before us. We cleaned up the kitchen, packed quickly and followed on a later train. We all met in the evening at our hotel and, grabbing a metro, we went straight to the Moulin Rouge.
I was still using an ankle brace and a cane on this trip. Standing in line at the Moulin Rouge, G and I were surprised to be pulled from the line by the staff. Hustled to the side, we found ourselves in a group of more elderly people, all sporting canes or walking assistance. Then we were ushered into the auditorium to be seated in advance of the remaining crowd. When we communicated that we were with three other people, a nice woman on the staff told us to wait until they arrived and that she would get us “a nice table.” True to her word, when the three girls joined us, we were all escorted to a ringside table, front and center. Feeling like a fraud with my cane (it’s JUST a sprain!!), I limped more, almost in self defense. Although the girls applauded my theatrics, I was absolutely cringing inside. I did need the cane but I was not that impaired yet still felt I had to justify its use. Crazy. Utterly human.
The show at the Moulin Rouge was wonderful. The dinner was mediocre, as was the opening act but when the large performances started, they were astounding. There were cabaret showgirl pieces which wove a loose love story between the two main stars, sprinkled intermittently with circus performers that did specialty acts. It reminded us of a combination of Las Vegas and Cirque du Soleil. We were not allowed to take any photos of the stage performances but they do have a good web site:
http://www.moulinrouge.fr/It was more than we had expected and the four people who shared our table were gracious and humorous. They donated their last bottle of champagne to the girls since they themselves would not consume it. Unclear if it was allowed, we left with the champagne, which Las Chicas finished off in their hotel room. An incredible show and evening.
The next day in Paris, G and I went to the hardware stores in search of screening material for our mosquito problem but they did not carry anything that addressed the issue. We met the girls at the Catacombs for a tour and climbed down to the cool caverns to view the largest stack of bones we are (hopefully) ever likely to see in our lives. The history behind the caverns was intriguing and the unhurried walk not as claustrophobic as one would think.
Las Chicas went off to tour the Arc de Triomphe while G and I left to view the Notre Dame’s damage, which was just heartbreaking to see.
G and I returned to Lille a couple of days before the girls. Having failed at finding screening material, we researched more online for solutions. Overall the first kit we tried for one window worked, teaching us quite a bit in the installation. I cut it just a smidge too short, learning about an overlap issue and the screen tore when we closed the window, teaching us about the window mechanism allowance. Confident now that the kits would work, we ordered on quick delivery, enough for all of the windows. Unfortunately they didn’t arrive. Once we got an email stating that the package had been returned due to damage, we hunted in downtown Lille for a solution. We found mosquito netting in the fabric store and having learned through the first kit how best to attach it, we got the velcro at the hardware store across the street. We weren’t able to install it in time before the last night we hosted Las Chicas.
We asked the girls what their takeaways from their trip was. They answered it easily with the following list: Get out of Paris to really see France. Schedule sleep-in and take-it-easy days. Research the regional foods and just dive in. Download travel and metro apps for navigation ease. Keep cash on hand for all the unexpected little things. Get expandable suitcases. Learn small phrases in advance such as greetings, please, excuse me and thank you. They liked our advice that one should not start a conversation, without a greeting and apologizing for not being able to speak French, before inquiring if they speak English (or something other than French). The visitor that walks in and immediately says, “Do you speak (MY LANGUAGE),” is simply rude. First making eye contact with the proprietor of a store when entering, greeting with “Bon Jour, Madam/Monsieur.” Then, later when interfacing for information or purchases, we say, ” DĆ©solĆ©, Je ne parle pas franƧais. Parlez vous anglais ou espagnol?” Translated; “Sorry, I do not speak French. Do you speak English or Spanish?” It nets us sympathy in our ignorance and in turn, kinder responses.
We recently had an interesting conversation with visitors from the US, when they stopped us on the street for a restaurant recommendation. They were pleased that they could enjoy their travel here without the benefit of understanding French. One of them complained that they had been to Japan and voiced incredulity over the fact that the cashier of one shop did not speak any English. I asked them whether, if they were running a shop in the US and a Japanese visitor demanded that they themselves be able to speak Japanese to them, whether that scenario made sense. They admitted it would not and that they had never thought of it in that light. G and I have noted that as more populations are able to travel overseas from their own country, that a certain common sense seems to have disappeared. Stories of people from a wide variety of countries, climbing century old statues, touching museum artifacts, putting themselves in inappropriate places or stances for the sake of selfies, are common. We don’t think it’s a question of age as much as it is a simple matter of ignorance or even thoughtlessness. Rather than proselytizing, we ourselves make small suggestions when asked, in an attempt to start a line of thought in regards to their current approach, hoping it helps a bit.
Las Chicas left with many hugs and great memories. We took a deep breathe, then got busy covering all of the windows and even found something workable for the balcony door. The ceiling mosquito hoops came down and the mosquito population in the apartment also came down. It was such a welcome relief and we discovered an after effect of a terrific air flow throughout the apartment once all of the windows could be opened (since we no longer had the fear of bugs). It was a great month, ending with those wonderful window finishes.
twokiddosoverseas.com 
You must be logged in to post a comment.