Summer !! Wonderful warm days, thoroughly enjoyable walks, Aperols in the afternoon. What’s not to love? Yes we had a few days in the 90’s but that was such a minimum, and we did pull out the A/C for those days.
The month took off with the arrival of the Tour de France, launching from and running through our city of Lille. The crowd’s excitement was an incredible vibe in every street and corner. Whole families bedecked in the colors, from 1-year olds to 90-year olds. A special platform was erected for professional photographers to capture the spectacle above the heads of the crowd. The pre-run events, which took place on July 3 at the plazas, showed off each team (starting with the lower ranked, graduating to the upper ranked teams). They assembled in the Place Du Theatre on the Opera House steps before riding down our street, banked by cheering and at some times frenzied supporters. On the Grand Place there was a large circular platform built over the center fountain to support the riders taking a ceremonious loop before being introduced by name. They also erected a large structure which showcased a performing troop of gymnasts. The weather was clear and sunny and the avenues were packed.
Then on the 5th, the race wound a route through the town before moving out and onward. The crowd, an absolute sea of event yellow colors, cheered their progress as some enthusiasts ran from the starting entry to the route exit in order to catch the last sight of the throng of competitors. In the states it would be akin to being surrounded by a crowd at the Super Bowl parade. High spirits and team enthusiasm all around. Then of course we did the same thing everyone else did; we sat down at a Tabac (outdoor cafe) for a beer and listened to the excited chatter around us about the favored candidates – at tables in French, German, Flemish and British English. A wonderful unifying experience which admittedly we could only observe. We’ve gotten totally enamored in the Futbol here (soccer) but the biking competitions are outside of our scope. Anyway, an exciting day in our burg.
For the fourth time in six years, on Sunday, July 27, Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia was crowned champion of the 2025 Tour de France. An exciting event for all of France.
Our only trip this month, on the 10th, we met some good friends from Oakland in Paris for dinner, during a leg of their trip. Unlike the disastrous meal we had in May with Denver friends, we picked a tried and true favorite – Chez Fernand Christine in the St. Germain quartier. It was a wonderful treat to seen Sony and Wlad. Although we’d hosted them four years ago, it was as if no time had passed and we were laughing as if we’d seen them the week before. The company was just fabulous, the meal was wonderful and after cocktails at the end of the evening, we parted with promises to see each other again in the future.
On our way back to our hotel, we passed by the Sénat building on Rue de Vaugirard, which fronts the incredible Jardin du Luxembourg, and across the street we enjoyed watching a Latin dance class on a warm Thursday evening in the entry plaza of the Odéon Théâtre de l’Europe.
Although we no longer experience the picnics and family gatherings of the 4th of July, we enjoyed hamburgers that day to honor it. La fête nationale française (Bastille Day) here on the 14th is the equivalent. The day was lovely, warm and sunny and the fireworks held at the canal after dark are clearly visible from our balcony, which we delight in every year.
At the end of the month, we took a walk to the Institut Pasteur de Lille to get the inoculations for our October Safari trip. The entrance was difficult to find and although we were late in our arrival, they still managed to take us both. We each had a shot for yellow fever, hepatitis A and tetanus. Before we left the area, we searched for a place to grab a bite to eat but the well-rated bistro located on the road behind the institution was not to be found. What we did find was a rather neat building that housed a variety of start ups, with a food truck, outdoor seating and a small hiking trail. Cours St Sauveur was its own little world, hidden and not identified on our map but with more digging we found the construction site that had blocked our way to the bistro we originally sought, actually blocked an entire cultural center which was currently under renovation. So, amply fortified, the next was a stop to the pharmacy for malaria pills, mosquito repellant and compression socks. They have no problem letting you into Kenya without the shots but you aren’t allowed to leave unless you’ve had them. Rather daunting for me, since no other travel we’ve had to date has required such steps. At least I have no issue with needles. G, however, suffers greatly and only copious amounts of beer afterwards would quell his nerves. Yep, such a staunch, wild-man adventurer he is. And if heaven doesn’t have beer on tap, I’m not sure he’d go.
That’s it for us – hope you are all well and happy doing what you are doing.
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