Jolly’ jumelage’ weekend in the sun

DESPITE a delayed arrival because of a mechanical fault with their coach, a party of visitors from France brought friendship and sunshine to Thame this weekend.

The 24-strong group of all ages came from Thame’s twin town of Montesson, near Paris. They stayed with host families in the town, sharing two days of fun, food and cultural activities, including the current exhibition at Thame Museum themed around the experiences of people with a Thame connection who lived or served during the First World War.

On Saturday, a trip to the Cotswolds included a visit to the old Roman town of Cirencester, taking in its Corinium Museum, a stroll through its many squares and arcades for shopping and of course, for just sitting and chatting over a cup of coffee or tea and cake, outside the towns many cafes in the sunshine. In Cirencester, there are more decorated, giant hares around the place than there are plastic cows in Thame, the hare, we learned, representing romantic love, lust, and abundance in Roman mythology. (The hare was were associated with the Artemis, the goddess of wild places and the hunt, and newborn hares were not to be killed under any circumstances but left to her protection).

The ‘twinners’ from Thame & Montesson stroll around the village of Bibury

Back in the bus after a picnic on the grass in the tranquility of the old Monastery gardens, the group broke the journey back to Thame with a short visit to the ‘Chocolate box’ beauty of the Cotswold village of Bibury, with its gently flowing, clear chalk streams of tiny minnows – and in some of the larger streams, jumping trout could be seen – and heard!

After a circular walk past the old, traditional cottages of Cotswold stone, passing pairs of swans with their signets, across neat little wooden bridges under dappled trees, it was time for an ice-cream before boarding the coach for the journey back to Thame.

A meal with host families and a welcome good night’s sleep later, Thame awoke to a sunny, warm Sunday morning. Some of the visitors were taken to see the stunning displays of flower arranging as part of the St Mary’s Flower festival, whilst others visited the museum or just explored the town centre before meeting together at the Three Horse Shoes pub in Towersey for a superlative mid-day meal in the barn, with a variety of English desserts provided by members of Thame’s Twinning Association.

L to R: Michel Cojean (Montesson twinning official photographer, Anne Gillet, Don Butler, Jeannette Matelot Green & Jean Francois Bel

Thame’s newly elected Mayor, Cllr Jeannette Matelot Green, welcomed the Mayor of Montesson, Monsieur Jean Francois Bel; the President of Montesson’s Twinning committee, Anne Gillet and the Deputy Chair of Thame and District Twinning Association, Don Butler, who all expressed their thanks and appreciation to everyone who had made the weekend such a success, and their pleasure at the continued strength of the union between the two towns.

After many hugs and ‘au revoirs’, a group photograph and a few tears, the coach of Montessonaise was waved off by the English hosts, with ‘fingers crossed’ that the journey back to France would be less eventful than the in-coming!