brushes with stardom

Yesterday on the way to Lille with Véronique, Jean-Pierre and Juliette, we noticed police officers on first one overpass, then another. Then we realized that there was absolutely no traffic on any overpass, nor in any of the lanes on the other side of the autoroute. And then suddenly, there it was. The presidential motorcade. While no one in the car seems particularly fond of Sarkozy, there was a small frisson of excitement as we realized what was going on. Later in the day, we heard on the radio that Sarko had been in Lille to give a speech on religious sects.

On the way home, I spotted a pretty colorful car, and as we passed I realized that it was for the Astana cycling team. As in Kazakhstan. Could they be prepping for the Paris-Roubaix, l'enfer du Nord in April?

What other things did I miss as I dozed, tired from our visit to the palais de beaux arts, lunch at la chicorée, and shopping in a six-story book store?