A Deliciously Sunny Day in Northern France

A Lil' Lille for the day and a special request!!

 

It reminds me of the play Little shop of Horrors

I'm in Belgium for some work related activities this week and have again found myself with a weekend open in Europe. In passing, someone mentioned that Lille was a perfectly beautiful town to visit and so  - Why not!  A quick 30 minute train from Brussels and voila!  Lille!!!
There is a lot of fun public art throughout the city balancing nicely with the gothic and dark Flemish inspired architecture all around.

I love the old fella with the cane..quintessentially French   - I had 2 wait 5 minutes for him to get in the shot...

Rarely have I felt and seen the past and present so well articulated through architecture. Lille's oldest and newest building seamlessly merge into a cityscape that is lively and inviting. It's bustling and busy; the downtown a bit congested with name brand stores vying for attention and the Euros passing by. Most, I'm afraid are bit rich for a humanitarian aid worker passing by but that said - I popped into Zara for a couple wardrobe additions unfortunately tending more toward sensible than stylish.

Mingled amongst the beautiful and oppressively expensive sexy clothing shops were a surprisingly large number of knick-knack shops with all kinds of clever little treasures. This is where Europe really shines in my mind. Thoughtful and interesting things to buy with real utility. When lunch hour came I chuckled passing the myriad of outdoor restaurants, none serving burgers but Fillet Mignon, Lobster Bisque, Champagne and the like. The French - they like it fancy, that's for sure. Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup!! Eat well, laugh often and love abundantly.

Also there are a number of museums and art shops including this motorcycle museum with a nice collection of vintage Moto Guzzis and Ducatis. Ahhh, a little slice of heaven.

Cool stained glass

Dark and brooding

Lille was occupied by the Germans for much of the 1st World war and had more than it's share of misery. Very close to the the front line, the occupying Germans used the city for wounded and R&R. Despite that, and the bombing throughout the war, the city is mostly intact.

The Cathedral of Lille is one such building finished in the 1990's through public funding. It had been going through various forms of construction since the 1880's but never completed. Walking through you witness a rich combination of old and new including the wild stained glass panel on the right.

These are some of the best gargoyles I've see. You can almost hear the shrieking.... I love Gargoyles!!!!

Funding for the Malezi Technical Education Program - if you can....

Pictured here is the Malezi Technical Education Program in session. The program was started by friends Olivia and Ksenia about 6 months ago though recently ran into tough times when the space and computers were no longer available. The program now continues with Olivia and 7 others including myself making a commitment to continue the program over the next year. We'll have 10 series of 5 classes each on Saturdays taking through a total of 50 kids !!! . Laptops and space have generously been donated and the program can now continue for the year. Pictured above is the first working session in the new facility.

In Kensian Shillings so trans is $9.60 USD per week

I've talked about the kids from Majengo slum previously in my blog and while there's no such thing as a good slum, this one is likely a bit worse than most. The program gives them training, a view of the world outside the slum, a nice tea break and a hot nutritious meal at lunch. With the exception of the teacher, the organization is all volunteer based. The budget for the year is just over $2000 and includes transportation, food, notebooks and the teacher. The group is working on a blog to better communicate information about the program. In a year's time, the hope is that funding may be available to create a community center near the slum with a computer training program and lab.

We have about 25% of the funding in place but would appreciate a small donation if you are interested. A few $50's would be very helpful and if you'd like to contribute...

E-interact to me laynemahon@live.com or contact me by email so I can help you get your contribution into the Malezi school account.

Thankyou for considering my request.

My new girlfriend aptly nicknamed torpedo boobs:)

Thanks for reading....Layno !!!!