Stimulating the Economy

So, my "economic stimulus" payment from Mr. Bush finally arrived, and I decided that I better do exactly what the name says - stimulate the economy. Sadly, I can't do anything about the US economy, but I did my darnedest to stimulate the European economy this weekend. :) I decided about halfway through the week (which had been plagued with lots of thunderstorms) that I really HAD to leave Holland for the weekend. The weather was really getting me down (especially since I have the Portland weather on my desktop at home, and I could see that it was 80 and sunny! GRR!), so I asked Karyn if she would be up for one of my notorius "adventures". I checked to see what cities were within driving distance, and then, as Karyn knew that all the sales were going on in France right now (change in seasons), we decided to head to France, and, more specifically, a cute town called Lille.

I'm a bit of an early riser, and so I got up around 7 on Saturday to get my long run in, and was greeted by a lovely clap of lightening and an ominous roar of thunder. A bit discouraged, but not dissuaded, I waited it out for 3o minutes, until it was "just" raining... none of the scary stuff. I then proceeded to run all 8 of my miles in a torrential downpour. Now, that, my friends, is dedication (okay, and maybe a little preparation for all the wonderful French food I was about to consume). ;) Karyn met me at my place at around 10, and we took off on our 3 hour drive to Lille. When we got there, we were starving, and so we stopped for some wine and mussels (very big in France) at a cute French place. And then... the shopping began! We shopped until the very last shop closed, which was about 9 pm. I found a fair amount of things... lots of cute new tops and fun summer skirts - now, if only the weather will cooperate so I can actually WEAR some of this stuff! :) Sadly, there are not a ton of shoes in my size in France, or actually in Europe for that matter. It's a bummer having big feet, but it does save my credit card! :)When the shopping was over, we enjoyed more wine and French food, and then crashed for the night. I think I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow! I was WORN OUT from shopping! :)


For breakfast, we had some lovely pastries and an omelette. We then made our way to the local art museum, and enjoyed a lot of fine art and a special Goya exhibit. Karyn was an art history major in college, so it was fun to hear what she had to say about paintings that were "just paintings" to me in any other setting. After this, and a quick stroll through the local market, we made our way back to Amsterdam. It was a really fun weekend - honestly, probably one of the very best I've had since I moved to Europe. :)


KP with her economically stimulating purchases :)


Commerce building on the main square in Lille


Beautiful Greek-style Opera House in Lille


One word - yum!!!


Karyn looking French with her baguette in front of the Art Museum



One other item of note from this week... so, I've really been trying to improve my golf game, as someone very special in my life is a total golf nut. I've been going to the driving range twice a week, and I finally put my skills to the test on Friday, when I played (a par 3 course, but still played!) with my co-worker Richard. I did a lot better than I thought, and actually had fun (not something I can say about many of the rounds that I've played before now!). I think this girl may just have a golfer in her! :)

This coming week is a big one - my big 2-8, followed by a trip to Prague with my friend and former co-worker, Michelle Bennett! Can't wait! :)