We have joined the Todmorden Town Twinning Association. Last week we spent four days in France at Roncq as the guests of local families. These kindly generous and patient hosts were prepared to provide 30-something of us from Todmorden with accommodation, board and car transport to various activities, or the group's coach.
Roncq is a small town near the huge conurbation of Lille and its suburb Roubaix. Roncq might be on the edge of the countryside, but its past has seen heavy industrialisation and there used to be extensive coal mining in this area. Indeed, the biggest underground mining disaster in Europe killing around 1,200 miners occurred near Roncq.
The journey started at around 6 a.m. on Saturday from Tod and arrived in Roncq at 5 p.m.
Chris and I were the guests of Thomas and Anne, their little boy Raphael, a dog called Bianca and un chat sans être vu. We cannot thank them enough for their wonderful meals (Thomas is a chef, so you know, eating was kind of very acceptable); countless instances of helpful attention; and being good enough to actually engage fully with our efforts to improve our French conversation.
This and the next few posts are about what we did on this trip.
On Sunday we did two things with our host family: went to the Wazemmes street market in Lille, which has to be the largest I have ever experienced; then after a real French Sunday lunch chez Thomas, we met up with their friends at the Mosaic ecological park.
I was very discrete in photographing at this market. There were many people who were probably 'illegal' immigrants or migrants: a very noisey manifestation was going on. Everything was for sale, except brocante (I mean it wasn't a secondhand market).
Thomas and Raphael at the indoor market where we bought cheeses. Below market and manifestation.
After Sunday lunch, we visited the Mosaic park where there were several displays about ecological sustainable living. Anne and Thomas help Raphael (a bit) with the really difficult access to this park, that is if you walk on the guard-rail.
... we were reminded that bees are quite important.
.... and sheep.
Anne and her friend and neighbour talk to Chris about biodiversity, sustainability, migration flows and the Schleswig-Holstein question.
Indeed it was a super afternoon.
On Sunday we did two things with our host family: went to the Wazemmes street market in Lille, which has to be the largest I have ever experienced; then after a real French Sunday lunch chez Thomas, we met up with their friends at the Mosaic ecological park.
I was very discrete in photographing at this market. There were many people who were probably 'illegal' immigrants or migrants: a very noisey manifestation was going on. Everything was for sale, except brocante (I mean it wasn't a secondhand market).
Thomas and Raphael at the indoor market where we bought cheeses. Below market and manifestation.
After Sunday lunch, we visited the Mosaic park where there were several displays about ecological sustainable living. Anne and Thomas help Raphael (a bit) with the really difficult access to this park, that is if you walk on the guard-rail.
... we were reminded that bees are quite important.
.... and sheep.
Anne and her friend and neighbour talk to Chris about biodiversity, sustainability, migration flows and the Schleswig-Holstein question.
Indeed it was a super afternoon.
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