Le weekend...

Yesterday, Vladi and I were invited to join one of his Bulgarian friends and colleague, Ilian, on a road trip to Lille. Lille is just across the border in northern France, 118 km or 1 hour and 17 minutes by car, according to Google Map Quest. Well, it took us a bit longer, as we unknowingly cruised on by the highway sign indicating the direction for a town called Rijsl, an obscure place not mentioned on our Michelen (French) map. We finally stopped at a rest stop a few kilometers further along the A10, to discover that Rijsl is the Dutch word for Lille! (Now you may understand my desire to learn Dutch!)
No problem, we turned back and headed for the turnoff. Our main objective was to have fun and see Lille, though the pretext was that Vladi and Ilian wanted to check out the prices of flatscreen televisions in France. They were convinced that they would be significantly cheaper, as all electronics, and virtually all imported goods in Belgium are very expensive. Since Belgium is a small nation, that includes many everyday items. Take straight pins, for instance. I was shocked to have to pay 5 euros for a plastic box of common pins! Anyway, I am getting off the subject...back to Lille.

We arrived in Lille at midday to the pulse of a busy shopping Saturday in the center. Lille is a city with a population just over 1 million if you include the surrounding suburbs, and is a former major textile manufacturing center. It is the fourth largest city in France, after Paris, Lyon, and Marseilles. Today, it has a huge student population with over 110,000 students representing more than ten institutions of higher learning. We headed toward the zone piétone (pedestrian zone), that car-free (and therefore carefree) area found in every French city, large and small where people can walk freely without worrying about traffic. The guys were quickly disappointed to learn that the prices were not really cheaper, as was Petya, a young Bulgarian woman employed by the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture in Belgium, who had also come along to see Lille and shop for clothes.

Ilian has been to Lille before, and wanted us to experience the ambiance of Meert, one of the oldest cafés in France, and located on the Place Charles de Gaulle, named for the famous general, resistance fighter, and former French president who was born in Lille. Meert has been in the business of serving tea, coffee and pastries to genteel (and not so genteel!) customers since 1761. The glass-cased window lures you in with pastries that are elevated to the status of works of art. There is also a confectionery shop that looks as though it hasn't changed much since the 18th century. We enjoyed the refined grace of the chandeliered tearoom, though Vladi hardly fit the part in his t-shirt and shorts! Oh well! He ordered a decadent-looking chocolate confection that appeared to have a piece of liquid silver laminated on top... Ilian commented that it would blend well with his fillings...

We strolled through the central square, taking in the flavor of the city as many citizens and tourists alike mingled on the beautiful sunny afternoon. We came across a used book fair being held in the stunning courtyard of the Vieille Bourse (the Old Stock Exchange). Shouts were heard out in the big square, and we observed a large crowd of students, wearing personalized lab coats, holding hands, and many were linked together by knots tied at the edges of their coats. We were a bit puzzled. Were they on strike? They weren't carrying any protest signs, and they seemed to be in a very good mood. So, I asked a couple of them. "What are you guys doing?" "We are students from the École nationale supérieure d'arts et métiers (trade school) and we are having an outing," they responded with a smile. "What are you going to do now?" I asked. They hesitated, then said, "We don't really know, but keep watching and you will find out!" Vladi asked them if they were all male, and they said there were a few women, but only 10%.

Instead of watching to see what they would do next, we turned our attention to a more subdued group gathered in a circle next to the students, holding signs featuring individuals in various poses with their faces covered. The signs read: Sans papiers...ne plus vivre cachés (The undocumented...don't live in hiding anymore!) The group that was demonstrating for the rights of undocumented immigrants in France was the Ligue des droits de l'Homme and they were quoting Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man of 1948: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and in rights. They possess reason and a conscience and should behave towards one another in a spirit of fraternity.

They pointed out that France was not exactly living up to its theoretical ideal in actual practice. They accused the government of hunting down these illegals, denouncing them, imprisoning them and sending them back to their home countries, often to dangerous or intolerable circumstances. This argument will sound familiar to most Americans, and has been a point of debate in French politics for years.
Overall, our quick trip to Lille was a revelation. For some reason, I had always assumed that Lille was a big industrial city with little charm. My assumption was ill-founded. By the way, I forgot to mention another very famous French citizen native to Lille from whose research we have all benefited: Louis Pasteur was from Lille, and his Institut Pasteur was founded there. FYI: Pasteur was the inventor of the pasteurisation process, a micro-biologist and pioneer of vaccines. A bientôt!