Damned wind...

I blame the wind for my laziness today. I had grand plans to face the rain and explore Tournai, Belgium by myself this afternoon. A quick seventeen minute train ride away, ten kilometers past the border, lies this second oldest town in Belgium. The night that I arrived in France, Cody, Sébastien and I ate dinner here and I was in love with the parts of the town I saw by night. I was looking forward to seeing it by daylight today, but I'll have to wait. The wind is honestly HOWLING! There have been wind advisories on each météo break - it's bad where I am and much worse in other areas. I don't intend to let the weather stop me often. I can deal with rain and cold, even snow, but the wind makes things impossible! So, solo trip to Belgium is postponed until further notice. Tant pis! 

Later tonight, I'm going out to dinner with Séb, his brother, and some friends. The restaurant serves typical northern French food, so I'm thinking frites and les moules? Séb joked that I wouldn't be able to order a salad - I just hope there is some kind of vegetable available to me that isn't a pomme de terre! I'll fill you in on my dinner later, but for now I thought I'd fill you in on my lovely Sunday afternoon (Yes, I realize it was a few days ago).

On the first Sunday of each month, many museums in France are free. This is something I'll be taking advantage of each of the remaining months I'm here, as there are many museums to visit and who doesn't love free admission! We chose a museum in nearby Villeneuve d'Ascq, the Lille Métropole Musée d'are moderne, d'art contemporain, et d'art brut (the LaM), which just reopened in September with rave reviews. We timed it perfectly, arriving when there wasn't even a line; by the time we left, there was a line just to get in line! There were some cool pieces of art in there, like some Picasso's and journal writings by Jack Kerouac, some names that I recognized like Modigliani, and a whole ton of pieces that I could admire but couldn't understand. The contemporary art exhibit was my favorite of what was there, however, I prefer antiquities and Renaissance pieces found elsewhere. The LaM is situated next to a beautiful park, which we wandered around before getting too cold and a little hungry. Séb took us to an adorable little restaurant on the river, La Guinguette de la Marine, where I had a café crème to warm me up (though I'd have preferred something more along the lines of a grande soy latte) and enjoyed the swing at the bar. I hope to come back here some night for their live music! In all, it was a great day with great company. 

Femme au Chapeau (1942) and Tête de Femme (1943) by Pablo Picasso

Park next to the LaM in Villeneuve d'Ascq

Ali, Ashley and I in the park - these boots were not made for doing quality arabesques on a log. 

How many restaurants do you know with an indoor swing (or three), on a river by a pretty park? 

Now if only this wind wound die down... Today's the perfect day for baking but I don't have any supplies and the store down the block is closed for Armistice Day. Thanks to all military members who've served to protect others - but no thanks for the wind.

Bisous, 

-kelse

La météo - the weather

Tant pis! - Too bad! What a shame! 

Les frites - fries (Did you know that fries weren't invented in France but in Belgium? I'll explain later...)

Les moules - mussels

Un pomme de terre - a potato