Balladins Superior Hotel Cha Lille

Hé hé !

L'Amérique latine, nous voici nous voilà très très bientôt !!!
Plus que quelques heures avant le décollage...
L'excitation et l'appréhension sont 2 émotions qui se battent en duel en ce moment.

Le départ est prévu à 20h ce lundi 7 décembre de Paris CDG et l'atterrisage le mardi 8 décembre à Buenos Aires.
Nous en avons rêvé et ce projet va enfin devenir réalité.

Nous partons tout équipés : les 2 v ...

I just arrived in Lille just over an hour ago by TGV (in right around an hour from Paris, super fast). I got a bit lost arriving to my new host's house, but here I am, safe and warm. I'll stay here till Friday, when we carpool (two groups in two cars) to a big CS weekend meeting in Rotterdam. There I should be able to meet up with my host in Hague (about 20 or 30 minutes away).

The last few days were ...

... soldier'. Again, it was pretty sobering, seeing all these graves.

We managed to all get completely soaked today, and it was freezing cold and windy as well, so it wasn't particularly comfortable. After that, it was back to Calais, stopping at one more of the massive French hypermarkets for a few souvenir pieces of food, then back onto the ferry back to Dover.

So, that was the Crumball Rally over! We did ...

Or at least, the Lille metro.

Lille's metro system was the first one in the world without a driver, which is pretty clever really. It does make the journeys interesting, however!
As there is no driver, sitting right at the front of the train you can look at the tracks straight ahead of you, which is quite good fun really and reminds me of being on a rollercoaster! Of course I don't sit there screaming and shouting. At least not all the time.
Getting on the metro early ...

... wonder anyone survived at all. They also discussed the intricacy of the trenches and how they allowed rests and safety for the soldiers.

Ypres is also the resting place of John McCrae the author of the famous Poem "In Flanders Field".

After the enlightening trip to the museum we did the only thing one can do in Belgium when in need of a little cheering up and refreshment, we got some waffles! Delicious! One thing I must ...

... today to buy my week's fruit and veg and some pastries!

I also went with my parents to the "Jardin des Plantes", which is a kind of botanical garden and is absolutely beautiful. The guide book says "it is worth a visit just for the smell of the roses", however unfortunately there were no roses since it was October! I will have to make sure to go back when they are blooming! I really liked walking around these gardens, it was really ...

... Toussaint holiday began at 5.30 on Friday, and Erin went home for the break. I hadn't planned to go home until Christmas and so I'm determined to stick to it, so I will have to apartment to myself for a week or so. I'm looking forward to visits from mum and dad and from Bridget and in between visitors I am planning to fill my schedule with cultural visits or as one of the teachers put it at school today: "On peut voir et apprecier notre belle région."

... we then went to Lille, the fifth largest city in France, by the way it is at the top of my list of places visited so far. Our hostel was based in Lille. We all went out as a group and found some really nice bars. There was a lot of dancing going on, and come to find out the next day, our professor told us we had been in the gay district of Lille. No wonder no one was getting talked to besides the guys. It was fun all the same! The next day we walked around Lille and ...

... we have so much stuff - you know how hard it is to get Ian to stop shopping!!!). On our last day before heading to the train, Nicky & Phillip took us shopping so that we could buy some special champagne & cheese supplies for going back to Mark & Vanessa's. Our trip back to France was really relaxing and nowhere near long enough. But we are running out of time now and there is still so much left to do.

... you many times! last year i wrote you a christmascard..and at the easternholidays it came back with a sign "wrong adress"! I was really sat, i thougth i will never see or hear you again! Now I read this E-mail and I'm really really happy! Why are you in Frankfurt?! I want to meet you there!!!! My job is there! That means, i'm every day in Frankfurt! If you want to call me...my phonenumber is: ###-###-####### Nice greetings to your family! I'm really happy you contakt me..!!!!!