Friends Visit Lille and Never Want to Leave (Obviously!)



Visiting Bruges with Friends Studying in Rome



The past extended weekend was SO much fun!  I was lucky enough to have friends from home come to visit me in Lille and I cannot put into words how great it was to spend time with them.  They were the taste of home that I really needed!  First, my friend that I went to high school with who is currently studying abroad in London made a train over to spend the day with me on Thursday and stay the night Friday night.  While it was short and quick, it was enough time for me to show her the pretty areas in Lille (not enough time for all of them, of course), get some really good food, and catch up.  I was able to show her the bar next to my school that everyone from my school goes to after class to grab some fries and a beer or just meet up with friends.  We had a phenomenal time and had lots of laughs.  After my high school friend left Friday morning, my friend from Santa Clara and her friend who are both studying abroad in Rome came to visit me Friday afternoon and they were both able to stay until Sunday morning.  While figuring out the transportation for them throughout the trip was not nearly as simple as it was for my friend in London, they were still able to make it to Lille safe and sound.  They were amazed by Lille and they made me remember my first few days in Lille. 

I'm a Great Tour Guide :)

The city is still amazing to me, but seeing their faces light up every time we turned on a new street made me realize really how lucky I am to be studying in this city.  Not only that, but I was able to intoduce them to my close French friends here that go to my university and they were really thankful to have had that experience.  I myself am so happy I have met some of the nicest locals and plan to keep in touch with them all long after I leave.  My friends from Rome also wanted to go to the Venice of the north - Bruges, of course.  Although I had already been, the city amazed me the first time and I jumped at the opportunity to go back.  Because I had my map from last time and remembered some tid bits from our tour, I was able to be a little tour guide of sorts and point out some interesting facts about the city.  If anyone is looking to come to Bruges, I'd love to be your tour guide :)

Off to class, I'll update again soon!



Back in Bruges and Loving it