L is for Don't Lose Your Umbrella

I think I used up all my good luck for the year by arriving at the beginning of a warm, sunny weekend in Lille. Now I know that "warm and sunny" are not adjectives I will regularly use when talking about this city; in fact, my weather-related vocab will generally veer more in the "windy, rainy, damn cold" direction. So far I don't really mind, though; when the rain is lashing outside and I am crushed into our tiny kitchen with my two dorm-mates, heating a pot of soup over one of our two hot plates, there's a bit of a wartime-bonding atmosphere that I enjoy. Together through hardship! And weather in the North of France!

Those first few days, though - WOW.

The pair above are Felipe, a Chilean doing doctoral work in Lille, and his girlfriend Claire, a native Lille-ian. Thanks to CouchSurfing.com (quickly becoming my new favourite website), the Spanish assistant at Faidherbe and I spent last weekend tagging along in awe as they treated us to an incredible walking tour of the city, which culmintated in an incredible drink whose name I forget and thus will be immortalized as the Neon Stomach Don't Vomit cocktail!


Lille Town Hall, on an angle to fit in the giant bell tower:

Below is the oldest fish shop in Lille, which says a lot in a city that's over a thousand years old! Too bad I don't really like fish. Especially thousand-year-old fish.

Picture of rooftops! Can you see the escaped balloon floating away in the sky?


And, of course, no ramble through a French city would be complete without one of these:

The greenness of this city reassured me when I arrived. There are some Montreal-esque public spaces where, on that first day of exploration, I began to imagine myself spending a lot of time reading French novels. 

Now I know that I would have to wear a wet suit and goggles to spend any more than a few minutes without overhead shelter, but it was a nice dream while it lasted.


Next photo: very significant because it is taken from a bridge that is THE BRIDGE TO THE ZOO!!!!!!
I knew I had moved to the right place when I found out I'd be sharing a city with this guy:

And these guys:

(Monorail lemur causes traffic jam)

That last guy cracked me up. He was very fussy about takin' care of business and wouldn't do it if any of this animal buddies were around. Apparently he didn't care about all those sniggering humans, though!

Hundred-year-old turtle:

Hmmmmm... large animal in a vegetative state under the nearest lightsource... remind you of anyone?