The time since the March posting was spent virtually the same. Still doing cleaning, reading, cooking, video chatting with friends and family and completing projects. G did most of the shopping, although I began to walk with him and stayed outside of the stores.
Our bike rides went rougher than I had anticipated. I hadn’t ridden a bike in so long that my motor skills seem to have evaporated. I ride like a five year old who has just gotten their training wheels removed. I wobble so badly that people who spot me coming, scatter like frightened cats, with looks of horror on their faces. I think the failure I had at juggling should probably have clued me into the fact that motor skills are no longer in my repertoire. I refuse to give in. However, the art of juggling may have to be acquired in my next life.
We did ride to a couple of places, learning quickly that we needed to map out areas that were void of cobblestones. I may steer like a five year old but I definitely have the backside of a senior citizen.
In the middle of April, we got our first vaccine shot. Our walks became longer and farther, taking in places we’d not yet seen, like one of the Lille cemeteries and a petting farm. The parks that we passed were showing beginnings of activity and it was delightful to see families picnicking with kids racing around on the playgrounds. And it was great to see the farmers markets bustling, the outdoor cafes full as well as the street foot traffic picking up.
In the middle of June we got our second shot and on the last day of June we were fully inoculated. We celebrated by taking out one of the motorized boat rentals on the canal. No concern here regarding motor skills – we both did the driving without mishap.
The four flatmates, who live on the floor above us, all play an instrument of some kind and one of them was completing her doctorate in classical guitar. In order to meet certain requirements and get in the practice she needed, she asked if she could perform her hour long concert for us. Of course we said yes and we invited everyone we knew to come as well. With a party of a dozen, we were all treated to a wonderful evening of her playing and I have to say we were honored to be asked to host the event.
Emboldened by our new inoculation, we decided to take a bus to Wambrechies, as we had heard that they had a great second hand store. The bus ride was a 30 minute ride but the entire trip resulted in making us feel like we were newbies to even the slightest travel. The first issue was that we couldn’t be sure which direction had the correct bus and after walking across the street three times, between the two bus stops, we settled on our best guess. The good news is that we picked a bus going in the right direction. But then the second issue, the bad news, was that we got off too soon (a hesitancy on whether it was the correct stop resulted in us jumping out in haste). As a result, we were now stuck in the middle of farmland and had a 40 minute walk ahead of us. Except we ended up walking in the wrong direction before discerning that was the case, adding to the estimated time of the walk (couldn’t ask the livestock). Feeling like complete morons at this point, I accosted some poor senior gentleman, pulling out of his driveway, to verify that where we were pointed was indeed the correct direction for Wambrechies. Not only was it the correct direction but he insisted on giving us a ride to town, as he was going to be passing it anyway.
Not the hitchhiker types, we were too grateful to say no, not to mention hot, tired and grumpy. Thanking him profusely as we disembarked, we found we were near the city hall and the canal. To lighten our moods and catch our breath, we parked ourselves down at a tavern on the canal and ordered lunch. The beer was an excellent salve to the hot, humid day. The lunch however, one of the worst we’ve had here in France, did not lighten anything, much less our moods. After a cursory glance about town, we grabbed a bus returning to Lille. The next day after reviewing our fiasco and looking at pictures of Wambrechies, we could easily see that we completely missed the main part of town. Another trip is in the planning. At least this time around, we will know when to get off the bus.
And of course we got into the excitement of Euro 2020 futbol matches with France in the championship rounds. In the 16th round in their game with Switzerland, it was an exciting game that went into overtime, tied up 3-3. Unfortunately, France lost on a penalty shootout and it was over. Needless to say there were unhappy fans everywhere including here in Lille.
In the middle of this month, an old friend from Oakland came to stay in Paris and trained into Lille to stay with us overnight. Bearing bags of spicy Cheetos (G’s favorites), we gabbed through lunch, shopping, dinner and then the next day before she headed back to Paris. We laughed over the fact that she had made the flight reservations as soon as travel to France reopened.
Finishing out the month, on one of the days not raining, we traveled to the outskirts of Lille by bus, to Le Village des Antiquaires in Saint Andres. We had hoped to find a gate leg table to replace our too small dining table, without compromising our apartment space. In two old, large warehouses, areas were divided for individual dealers, which held an amazing variety of things. Unfortunately none had the table we were looking for.
The entire month of July had quite a bit of rain and thunderstorms, which after our time in California felt incredibly refreshing. August will apparently be the same and you will not hear a single complaint from us.
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