FRIENDS FROM PONT CHATEAU June 11, 2011

FRIENDS FROM PONT CHATEAU
June 11, 2011

Rain was predicted today, so we planned some alternative activities. After breakfast we walked into town to see what was shakin’ at the Festival Francais.

It turns out Nassau is gemimillo (sister city) with a small town in Brittany, Pont Chateau. To celebrate their friendly relationship they were putting on the Deutsch-Franzosische Partnerschaft event in the town square.

In the morning there were hundreds of tables set up, just like you see in travelogues about Oktoberfest, and the food booths were beginning to cook, but there was nary a soul at the event.

We went up to the tourist information center to find out where the Citroen exhibition was located, only to find that the exhibit is just a dozen photos of Citroens. How disappointing.

I left Don at the TI center to do some computer work and I went back to our apartment to do some laundry.

When Don returned we went for a drive to check out some local sights. First we went up the hill to visit Berg Nassau, the local castle. There were lots of cars there and we were surprised to see so many because it is a small castle without a lot of interesting furniture or a museum.

It turns out that the castle is popular for weddings. One wedding ceremony had just concluded when we arrived and the bride and groom and guests were having photos taken. Many of the guests were dressed in period costumes, kilts and clan plaid of green, black and blue, so I guess one of the members of the happy couple was Scottish.

We climbed up in the tower, and thank goodness the stairs had been redone, so I didn’t have to cope with the uneven surfaces of stumble-stairs. Along the way we stopped in a side room, where the city official was waiting for the next bridal party to arrive. The room was set up for about 30 guests, so it has to be a very small wedding.

At the top we had fabulous vistas of the surrounding countryside and the town.
Next we drove through the green hills to Kloster Arnstein where we strolled the grounds and visited the church.

Back to the house for lunch and then we put on our French chapeaux, Don his stocking cap from Pont Chateau (1989 Cyclo Cross World Championships) and I my Carrefour bike cap, and we went back to town to see if there was any action at the festival. And, yes, there was. The tables were filled with people cheerfully chowing down on bratwurst, escargots, ratatouille, and of course, spargel mit kartelhoffen.

The charming maidens of Pont Chateau, dressed in traditional outfits, were dancing some folk dances, so we went up close for photos. Then the dignitaries got up on the stage to give their speeches and exchange gifts. I couldn’t make out everything they said. It was mostly “so happy to have this alliance and hope it will continue for many years to come” and “thank you for inviting us to share our culture”, but at one point they started talking about the “black American president”. They didn’t call him by name, but identified him by color and nationality. I wish I could have understood in what context they were referring to him and what they had to say.
As the dignitaries were finishing up patting each other on the back, one fellow came back to the tables where the mucky-mucks had been sitting. This is where we were sitting now. He noticed Don’s Pont Chateau had and was very surprised and commented on it, asking if we had every been to Pont Chateau.
We explained that this had is from the 1989 World Cyclocross competition held in Pont Chateau, and that Don takes this hat with him on all of our trips to keep his ears warm. This guy was the French event organizer and when the mayor of Pont Chateau came back to the table we were introduced as American friends of Pont Chateau. The cheeses got a big kick out of the fact that there was anyone at the festival that had been to Pont Chateau, and especially an American visiting Germany. We had a nice chat with the French dignitaries and took our leave with the whole table chattering about this unexpected meeting.

Back to the TI center, where we Skyped Pauline and Jerry, and then home to bed.