France Archives - Battered Suitcases

A lil Lille.

Since all good things must end, it came time to check out of our lovely one bedroom apartment in Brussels and say goodbye to the sweet kitty we’d been watching. After preparing the apartment for the next guests, we boarded a train bound for Lille, France. I had always heard that Lille was just an ugly industrial town and not worth much of a visit. However, Mike easily convinced me by showing me a few images of the town’s center. It’s actually a very pretty place.

Lille is where we rang in the new year. We celebrated with other revelers in the main square and watched the amateur firework show until it started to feel a tad bit unsafe. It just doesn’t seem wise to shoot roman candles off into the crowd. After dodging a few way too low to the ground blasts, Mike and I decided it was time to turn in. It’s just not quite as fun when singed hair or burned skin are a real concern.

2014 was off to an interesting start.

xo, jill

[I’m still out traveling, but I have a new mini series to share! Believe it or not, I did a bit of traveling before blogging came in vogue. Over the next few days I’ll share posts about 3 trips I took pre-bloglife. The first is here.]

When I was a senior in high school we were required to complete a Senior Project. The project was a combination of a research paper, volunteer hours, and a final presentation. I decided to use this opportunity to get myself to France. I researched anti-Semitism in the country, used my volunteer hours to organize a school trip there, and presented to the community the importance of recognizing both the good and bad in cultures. It was a lot of hard work… but who wouldn’t put out a little effort for a trip to France?

So, after studying French for 6 years, it was time to actually use it. Unfortunately, the most vivid language memory from the trip is a shopkeeper screaming at my friends and me. I’m not sure what we did to upset him, but I was proud that even through his shouting I could understand his words.

Our trip began in Paris. Seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time was a pretty special feeling. We hit the major sites including Le Louvre, Montmartre, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, and of course Le Tour Eiffel.

I wanted to pee a little.

Part of our group. (I’m in the khaki pants and dark top.)

“Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?”

Below the steps at Sacre Coeur

Notre Dame and one of my favorite photos from this trip.

Stained glass at Notre Dame.

In the Loire Valley we toured a few different chateaus but my favorite was Chenonceau. How beautiful. The ballroom stretches out over the water which creates natural air conditioning.