Past Events

In Strasbourg our hotel was located very conveniently just five minutes’ walk
from the Gare Centrale. Following a varied and capacious breakfast next
morning, we started our programme with an orientation walk, going first to the picturesque Petite France district with its half-timbered buildings alongside the river. The walk continued past the cathedral and through several squares with Christmas markets. We went our different ways in the afternoon for further exploration, and then that evening Fiona had arranged the now traditional group meal at a very nice restaurant close to the cathedral. As a bonus, two of the Amis d’Ealing who were visiting Strasbourg were able to join us there.

Saturday was scheduled for a day trip to Colmar, half an hour to the south. In Colmar, we again began with an orientation walk, this time going through Petite Venise, which is similar to Petite France in Strasbourg but has even more picturesque half-timbered buildings, and is therefore even more of a magnet for visitors. We finished outside the renowned Unterlinden museum, and dispersed for much-needed refreshments before visiting the museum independently.

The Unterlinden museum was closed for renovation when we came ten years ago, so there was much anticipation of the opportunity to go inside this time, and we weren’t disappointed. The most visited museum in Alsace, it’s a vast storehouse of works of art, housed in a former convent dating from the 13th century, plus an adjacent more modern building. Its greatest treasure is the amazing Isenheim altarpiece, painted in 1516 by the German Renaissance painter Matthias Grunewald for a monastery in a town of that name just south of Colmar. The altarpiece is housed in the convent’s very large chapel. Back in Strasbourg on Sunday and on Monday morning, we were able further to explore museums and markets, now finding our way around like local residents and benefiting from the 5€ City Card which offered considerable reductions for entry to museums.

During the Christmas market period, the whole of Strasbourg city centre is
closed to vehicles, with the exception of delivery vans in the morning (when the Christmas markets are not open). The entire centre is thus a pedestrian-only zone, which makes walking around very pleasant, though the crowds in the numerous markets themselves can be daunting. Vehicle prohibition plus bag checks on everyone entering the centre, together with police vans everywhere, are the main measures of security, which is taken very seriously.
At 1.00 pm on Monday we sadly bade farewell to Strasbourg, making the journey in reverse by Ouigo and Eurostar, taking back many happy memories of our long weekend. Our thanks must go above all to Fiona, without whom the trip would not have taken place.
Norman Hasker
I believe thanks are also due to Norman for his excellent walking tours! Ed

We enjoyed a delicious Persian lunch at Maryam’s Kitchen in South Ealing. One of the Amis, when complimenting Maryam, said it was the best meal they’d ever had – praise indeed!

From there, we took the tube to Acton and walked to Gunnersbury Museum
where we saw the temporary exhibition on Southall with the influence of
immigration on food and culture. We also had a very good private tour, including a tour of the Victorian kitchens. Everyone was very surprised when a ”Victorian maid” came in and demonstrated her daily duties! Afterwards, most of Les Amis managed to fit in the “obligatory” visit to Marks & Spencer before returning to their hosts for the evening.

On Saturday morning we took the bus to Neasden for our visit to Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Hindu temple) which had been top of Les Amis’ wish list. It didn’t disappoint! We received a very warm welcome, and were able to see a model of the similar temple currently under construction near Paris. After an informative video presentation, we looked around the temple itself, including a very interesting exhibition on the history of Hinduism. The highlight was witnessing the colourful and impressive daily prayer ceremony. We then had a tasty, vegetarian lunch in the adjoining restaurant, and most people bought sweets, spices and other souvenirs in the shop.

A short bus and tube journey (yet a world away) took us to Warwick Avenue, to look around the Little Venice area where Les Amis were struck by the stark
contrast to the bleak, suburban landscape of Neasden! We had tea in the
hidden gem of Clifton Nurseries Garden Centre before strolling via the canal to Paddington station and returning to Ealing.

Saturday evening was of course the AGM and Soirée at the Golf Club, which was a very pleasant occasion. Sunday morning allowed a bit of rest from all the activities before gathering to watch the Remembrance Day Service on Ealing Green, in better weather than last year. As usual, a wreath was laid on behalf of FoM/Les Amis d’Ealing. This was followed by a pleasant stroll down to The Rose & Crown for a traditional pub lunch before saying “au revoir”.
Kathryn Keenleyside

We all picknicked and chatted in the shade under the trees and just about everybody played. There were only about 24 of us, a smaller group than in previous years, which was a pity. A number of the usuals were on holiday and perhaps some were deterred by the possibility of hot weather. Our amazing trophy was won by Penny and Moira.

Thanks go to Gill, Jean, Colin, Penny and Robin for their sterling work in ensuring the pitch was fit to play on!

On arrival there was time to go for a stroll around the harbour, enjoy some refreshments in a harbour café as well as possibly visiting the local supermarché to purchase provisions for the following day. This turned out to be a holiday weekend in France (Ascension Day) so Kathryn had wisely booked tables for us at a nearby restaurant overlooking the harbour.

On Sunday morning we were off to Bergues, our picnic destination a short distance away. This is an attractive town surrounded by ramparts and canals and known to French cinema buffs as the setting for the 2008 film Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis. We made our way through the narrow streets to a spacious community hall where we were greeted by our hosts who had already laid out tables heaving with an assortment of dishes. People mixed well and as well as plentiful and varied food and no shortage of wine there was the buzz of conversation (mainly in French) as we all caught up on news and met some of the new members present.

After lunch most of us walked the short distance into the town centre
(accompanied by column of the town’s population of Toulouse geese for which it is known and which are also depicted on murals) where some of our more energetic members climbed the UNESCO listed belfry which boasts beautiful views over the surrounding countryside.

Sadly, it was then time to retrace our steps to meet our coach and after our goodbyes we set off back to Calais. This was a most convivial and enjoyable break and everything ran smoothly thanks to the hard work and efficiency of our valiant organisers Kathryn and Joanne.

There was positive feedback from the participants who reported that all the lessons were interesting and stimulating. Many said they enjoyed the variety of subjects and the fact that they had different teachers with different
approaches and styles. This year our soirée took place on the Friday evening (Saturday being reserved for a performance of My Fair Lady at the Questors). This was open as usual to all members as well as guests and hosts and was an excellent cold buffet held at the Brentham Club. It was a very convivial evening and gave those of us who were not hosting the opportunity to catch up with old friends as well as meet newcomers among our “amis”.

Our French lessons started at 3pm and we learned some interesting expressions involving parts of the human body. If you have “un coeur d’artichaut” it means you fall in love easily! During our 10 hours of lessons we learned that the French have similar issues to us regarding (particularly) young people developing a whole new language due to texting. “Je ne sais pas” is abbreviated to “JSP” and this is even used in the spoken language. We heard about the infiltration of anglicisms into the language – who would have thought the once proud French would stoop to saying “j’ai overbooké” (I’ve overbooked) and many more such clangers.

I think all of us were fêted by our particular hosts (I know I was) and we all enjoyed the Friday lunch at the crêperie and a delicious and varied “auberge espagnole” (American supper) on Saturday evening with wonderful friendly exchanges. I, for one, left Britain rather depressed by global events but French hospitality, generosity and conviviality soon dispelled that. I can’t recommend the French Weekend Intensif highly enough and hope that more people will take part in the next one!

Some members chose favourite songs which we listened to on Youtube. Popular choices included Prendre un enfant par la main from Moira and Michelle and Charles Aznavour’s Emmenez-moi chosen by Nicole and Françoise. The second half of the programme was devoted to a performance by Stewart Hyde, a singer and guitarist who for many years has had a special interest in learning about and performing French songs. He was a delight to listen to, treating us to, among others, Ne me quitte pas (Jacques Brel), Nuages (Django Reinhart) and Hymne à l’amour (Edith Piaf).
Thanks go to Jean Fitzpatrick who ably organised this very enjoyable and nostalgic evening.