Exchange visit 2009
Over the weekend of the Spring Bank Holiday a group of us polished up our best French and set forth to spend the weekend in Faches-Thumesnil. The ferry crossing was mirror flat and the sun shone in a clear blue sky - it was going to be a good weekend.
After the meeting and greeting in the Mairie (which we were sharing with a couple who had chosen a glorious day for their wedding) we all went off with our host families for a spot of lunch. It's always amusing, but not very surprising, that we often bump into each other after lunch as we wander around here and there with our hosts. A few years ago Lille had been the European capital of culture and had decided that it was such a good thing that they were going to launch a new programme of cultural events under the banner "Lille 3000". This weekend there was a Polish accordion group playing outside the Opera and we stopped by to listen. Unfortunately along with the summer's day comes the summer showers and we had to beat a retreat to the nearest bar - so it is true that every cloud has a silver lining.
After barely enough time to change into our party outfits we all met up for an evening meal. Last year when they came to St Neots we took them to our version of the Last Night at the Proms. So taken with this that they organised a keyboard, a musician and a song sheet. Raucous renditions of Rule Britannia, Land of Hope and Glory and, of course, Le Marseillaise ensued. Fortunately the drink was flowing freely so everyone joined in without hesitation.
Sunday morning brought brilliant sunshine so what better than a trip underground at a nearby mining museum. Northern France like the UK has a long mining history but sadly no more. Our guided tour of the former mine was very informative with an excellent audio commentary in English. After our lunch in the museum restaurant we were free to explore those parts of the museum that were not on the tour. The rest of the day was spent with our host families.
"Yes, yellow is your colour."
"Those white trousers seemed such a good idea this morning."
A visit to Lille Zoo reminded me that there's a part of the visit that always makes the young English boys squirm - the farewell kiss.