GNOMES WHO'D HAVE THEM

I always thought gnomes were rather benign with their fishing rods and spades but in Lille one evening we met a very feisty crew which involved a quick retreat into a bar. Luckily I snatched a quick photo.

Gnomes

SUNDAY LUNCH

Well it had to happen, I don't think it has happened before except for the the odd Irish Bar.

In Paris walking along next to the Panthéon (church), time was getting on about 2 pm both hungry and we came across a bar called The Bombardier. No I hear you say, but it did promise real ale!

We went in and it was a British pub serving real ale and pints (yes 560ml glasses not 500ml that are called pints by our newly adopted nation). After all the fizzy lager couldn't resist a pint of Youngs.

Things went from bad to worse or good to better (depending on where you're standing), so a couple of pints later and a full Sunday roast beef and Yorkshire plus all the trimmings (it was Sunday) we got back to the overwhelming architecture of Paris.

It's strange what a few weeks of fizzy lager can do to you. It's all a bit odd!

CAFE BARS

Weekend trip to Paris:

Lunch time after a bottle!

Dinner

Bedtime story

ARRIVING AT OUR HIVERNAGE (WINTER MOORING)

Well, we didn't expect the 'meet and greet' that we got when we arrived at the Port de Plaisance in Wambrechies (on the outskirts of Lille).  As it was Sunday the Capitaine wasn't there but we were obviously expected and everybody was looking out for the mad English couple who had brought their boat across La Manche!!  Help to guide us in, help with our ropes and offers of drinks.  Can't be bad.....les anglais have arrived!!  Great mooring, 3 cafés/restaurants and a boulangerie within 50 yards.  What more do we need??

You may wonder what that 'thing' is in front of us!!  All we know is it's called 'H2O'.

Our winter mooring

2 BARS AND FRENCH LESSONS

Saturday night in Lille.

Good for French speech:

L'Illustration

And good for French written language:

Café Livres

SUBMARINES AND PIANOS

I hear you cry what is the connection. The answer is Lille..

We've come across some great péniches huge live-a-board barges with massive accommodation up to 100 metres long but the wackiest must be:

The submarine barge.

Yes I've got a good idea let's weld an obsolete top half of a submarine to a barge and turn it into a home! Looks like it's still work in progress.

And pianos, well Margaret found her most challenging piece to play ever on this public piano.

Le Grand Pianoforte