Hotel Brasserie Du Beffroi Arras

... démontés et empaquetés dans des cartons, une remorque, un réchaud et une popotte, des vêtements pour tous les temps, des éléments de rechange pour le vélo, une trousse à pharmacie et une brosse à dent :)

Attention top chrono : J-23h

On vous embrasse tous très très fort.
Vous allez nous manquer quoique....!
N'hésitez pas à nous écrire et à commenter nos images.

Hasta luego amigos.

Joséphine

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 ...

... else trying to find out if they're British as well (hey, that's me!), and look quite defensive when somebody else sits next to them (hey, that's me as well!). They then get out an English book and try to look very superior because they speak another language. (I do that sometimes.)
A lot of French people, particularly early in the morning, sit down and close their eyes and somehow magically wake up when it's their stop and run off the train. I don't know how they can do that ...

... and lovely and many people seem to use it as a place to go running, so I will be sure to go back with my trainers on!

When my parents had left there were only 3 other British girls left in my residence, so the following day we went to the cinema to see "Mademoiselle Chambon", a typical French love story with very little dialect (which made it easier to understand), and an unhappy ending. I enjoyed it!

This week I have also been to ...

... had forgotten that I was coming, or in one case, did not turn up themselves! I taught a lesson on Saturday jobs on Friday morning which was very difficult, the text was very challenging for the students and I'm not sure how much they took in. In the afternoon Annabelle and I taught a lesson together and we used the song "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette which was excellent and we both really enjoyed the class, hopefully the students did too!

Lille, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France emmajogibson

... Lily Allen, Kanye West (ew) and Birdy Nam Nam.

Third day - Hit the food markets... always a treat! Lineup for the evening was Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs and Placebo, who encored two times... ahhhh!!!

Fourth day - Picked up cheap wine for canal lunch then the evenings entertainment was Franz Ferdinand followed by Lenny Kravitz and Moby.

Yes I am still wearing my wrist tag!

... this day where the new Cemetary is being constructed - where that Australian researcher did some investigative work; he came to the conclusion that there were still many more missing. He got hold of German maps, Allied maps and with permission from French Government - investigated the fields in the area of Fromelles - he found over 400 bodies buried in a mass grave originally dug by the Germans. This Cemetary opens next year ...

... I also find too busy, and decide to stay at the next quiet small town I come across. This happens to be Villaviciosa (town of vice?)– by this time I’m fed up with driving, the dark, the rain, etc and I go to the first hostal and they want 45 euros for a room which I don’t think is worth it, and I walk a little bit further and I end up finding a very cheap room (15 euros) above a small dark bar, which looks a den of vice.
I’m hungry ...

... in a Flemish way. It was weird. As I walked, I saw a familiar face. Here we were in Arras, and one of my closest friends from BT, Paul and his girl Julie were standing there. They had just completed a three week driving trip of Europe. Spun me out !!! We said our hi's and byes and moved on. The locals had set up a market, now I am a not the greatest lover of French people, but they do set up good markets. Ed and Lucia were amazed at the quality of the ...

... touring the major battlefields of World War I in Belgium and France, I wasn't as excited as I usually get. Nonetheless, I was quite eager to get back in touch with the Belgian blood that ran through my veins so while Ed and David organized everything, Lucy and I fantasized of cherry beer and Belgian chocolate, and waited for Saturday morning to arrive. We met with Lucy and David at 3:30 am Saturday ...