Bad Call

La Rochelle is probably the most cosmopolitan and upmarket seaside town within striking distance of our house and during the summer much of Paris shifts there for the season and indeed on one memorable autumn Saturday, it was invaded by hoards of Cherry and White (Gloucester Rugby Club) supporters, in town for a game against La Rochelle – but that’s another story that has been told elsewhere!  But back to the summer exodus from the French capital, which is reflected in the many chic boutiques and upmarket shops that out of season either close down or are largely devoid of customers, with their glamorous or handsome “designer” assistants draped wearily over the counter awaiting the sunshine, whilst manicuring their nails – men and women alike!

That said, we like nothing more than to stroll around its ancient streets, particularly early or late in the season when the weather is fair and the crowds have largely gone, admiring the architecture particularly the streets of old merchants houses, fronted by arched walkways which are great, during the summer, as retreats from the blazing sunshine.  And indeed there is a certain buzz all year round at the weekends, particularly Sunday when the French like to luncheon out.

Then there are the harbours, starting in the first basin where there are the tourist boats that ply their trade between some of the nearby islands, ferry people to the other side of the river, take trips around the inlet or further afield to circumnavigate a Martello type tower built out in the sea to previously defend the harbours of Île d’Aix and Rochefort, but now owned by France 2, a French TV channel.  It is called Fort Boyard, which is also apparently the name of a popular TV game show, similar I’m told to The Crystal Maze.  Some of you with satellite / cable TV may be familiar with the show, which has a UK spin off? (Once more thank you Wikipedia!).  This tidal harbour is also home to smaller yachts and motor launches, which seem in many cases to be actually used, I guess largely as day boats to potter up and down the immediate coastline!  The next harbour, with the water held back by lock gates as the tide falls, is more upmarket with medium sized but highly priced ocean going vessels, which sometimes do, but seem often to be nothing more than a status symbol and a handy place to entertain and impress one’s friends with sleeping accommodation right in the heart of town!

After this you pass through a recent development of weather boarded, Scandinavian-style terraced chalets, painted pastel colours and containing shops, restaurants, bars, hotels, accommodation and the tourist office, beyond which is the Maritime museum and the “big boys!” a mixture of corporate yachts, yachts owned by foundations such as one aimed at giving underprivileged youngsters an experience of a lifetime and those owned by people where money means nothing and a crew are always on standby to sail wherever is required, some I guess being capable of going just about anywhere in the world!

Well, that’s the bit of La Rochelle we know, as well as the market area – daily markets in the old market hall that spill out into the surrounding streets, but to visit them means an early start as they are all over by lunchtime! 

It was on one of our leisurely strolls, with friends after a leisurely lunch in our “favourite of the moment” harbour side restaurant that we came across a line of boats for sale, lined up on the water much like second hand cars are lined up on a garage forecourt. I like to look, but it never ceases to amaze me just how expensive boats are and that’s before the annual maintenance and anchorage charges – certainly it would take many nights in a nearby luxury hotel, with en suite and king-size bed that doesn’t pitch and toss, well not involuntarily!, to come up to the price of even the more modest of vessels.  It was however, then that I espied a small fast looking speed boat at the end of the line.  It had seen better days, and was certainly in need of much tender loving care, but once I spotted the name the neglect and lack of a willing purchaser was explained.  I felt it was rather a bad call to name the boat “Tsunami” and it’s unlucky to rename a boat, so with events in the Pacific a few years before and in the wake of a terrible storm that just the previous winter had wreaked havoc and great loss of life along the nearby coast, prospects of a quick sale seemed remote!     

I suppose it would be a little like bringing out a new Porsche called a Porsche Carnage, which my friend reliably informed me is actually in full production – only I haven’t been able to track it down on the web!  I was only gullible enough to think it unlikely but still checked it out!!

However, my research did encounter some interesting worldwide products with unfortunate names:

·       “Pee Cola” drink and “Shitto” hot pepper sauce from Ghana

·       “Ayds” diets candy from the 1980’s

·       A Greek soft drink called “Zit,” and

·       “Swine” chocolate and “Pansy” men’s underwear from China,

And these were only the ones suitable to mention!

R4JCV

No not a new personalised number plate – Roger for Junior Councillor Vendee, but rather an acronym for a fantastic walking festival held recently at nearby Chantonnay.  It actually stands for Randonnee 4 Jours en Chantonnay Vendee, or Walking 4 Days in Chantonnay Vendee and is an international walking event under the IML or International Marching League banner and is indeed the sole French event in an annual calendar of 25 similar events all over the world from Japan to Chantonnay, in two regions – Europe and the Pan Pacific.

First a little bit about the IML, (but for a full history type IML into your search engine) an organisation some of you may be familiar with.  It was set up in 1987 in Tokyo, Japan by representatives from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, GD Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Switzerland and now has 24 members including the UK (represented by Wellingborough).  Its aim is to encourage friendship between people of the world by organising international, non-competitive walking events.  The IML has a complex and thorough system of individual awards (Certificates, medals etc), that participants are able to purchase, that take into account the number of events carried out by a person in the various member countries.  Their motto is “Nos Iungat Ambulare” which means in English “May Walking Bring Us Together,” A sentiment I am sure most would agree with?  They also have an IML song that echoes this sentiment:

The International March (Hello, My Friend)

Hello, my friend, we meet again today.
Coming together from places far away,
To share a walk, and build a friendship true,
And make this a better world for me and you.

We come from many places,
But here our hearts are one.
The further that we walk,
Then the more we're having fun.

So come with me, and we'll see something new,
As we tell a walking tale or two.
When we are here and when we're back at home,
Our friendship is strong where ever we may roam.

But, why am I telling you this?  Well, a few months ago I was browsing the “What’s On in the Vendée” website, a really good English language website that does as the title says, and came across a request for English speakers to help at said walking festival, with the rider that it was not necessary to have a good command of French.  So an ideal opportunity for me to return to the volunteering fraternity, just down the road, and with dates fortunately not coinciding with any visitors.  So, I quickly send off an email volunteering my services, got a phone call some days later explaining briefly what is involved, signing me up with the promise of contact nearer the time and a get together just prior to the event to go through practicalities.

Two weeks before the event I’m invited to a brief meeting at a large communal hall, Salle des Congrès, in Chantonnay - the event nerve centre, together with the Parc Clemenceau next door, during the four walking days and the couple of days before for registration.  With upwards of 3000 walk days it’s a big organisation and promised to be very hectic at times. But as this was “The 13^th Edition” the organisation was not only impressive but well honed.  The meeting was very brief, but ended up with me signing up for duty for parts of four days and 2 further whole days, for which I would receive a free bright yellow tee shirt and a plentiful supply of refreshments including lunch on the full days and large quantities of “Easter” chocolate, obviously old stock donated from the various shops in the locality and a plentiful supply of drinks – coffee, but usually something stronger!  I was also entitled to one free walk on which again refreshments were plentiful and a filled baguette, apple and glass of wine were presented on arrival back in the park.  Then to come in a few weeks time is a walk and dinner the invite of which is headed “OBJET: REMERCIEMENTS AUX BÉNÉVOLES” (Thank you to volunteers) to which Linda is also invited.

But, first back to Day 1 (Tuesday), when there was a two hour evening session for registration, to beat the crowds on either the following day or on the mornings of each walk.  Each day there were four walks of about 12, 21, 28 or 42 km, along a linear route with participants bussed out to the start and following well signed and marshalled routes back into town, but more of these later.  Arriving for my first duty, looking bright if only dint of my new bright yellow tee shirt, I was presented with my official badge hanging on a bright yellow lanyard and it’s here I feel a joke coming on!!  “What do you call an Englishman with a very limited command of the French language?” Answer: An Interpreter!! And yes I still have the badge to prove it – HIGGS ROGER INTERPRETE!  At this point I suggested to Nigel, the person who had enlisted me and who incidentally speaks fluent French, Dutch, German and a smattering of other things as well as English, that I was not only feeling a fraud but had also perhaps been recruited under false pretences!!  He however assured me that it was just a title and I would be fine as much of our “work” involved directing people to the loo, the tourist office, the correct registration desk and the like!  This indeed proved to be the case and over the following days there was much standing around chatting, during which Nigel and I discovered we had amazingly been to the same school, as had his 5 brothers (he tends to tell people that he has 3 twin brothers and two brothers who each have four twin brothers – work that one out!!) at least one of whom was a contemporary of mine and another a contemporary of my brother!  There was also a good amount of people watching as people from quite literally all over the world, in all shapes and sizes registered for the various walks, needing to walk at least 20 km on each of the 4 days for it to quality as IML participation.  Participants included several people who qualified for their 75 walk event medal and one man who had just completed 225 walk events, not only a huge commitment physically but also financially.  The highest medal currently available is for 600 events and with only about 23 / 24 events possible yearly (sometimes dates clash!) that will take something like 25 years to achieve and cost a huge amount of money, and you even have to buy your own medals the 600 event one costing in excess of £25!

Perhaps, the funniest experience was on the first evening when an elderly Japanese couple arrived, needed help with their registration and were directed to us.  They spoke good English, but so grateful were they for the help that every sentence was liberally punctuated with a short bow, when I came home I told Linda I hadn’t done a lot, but still had a cricked neck as the nodded bows were catching and they kept coming back to find out more information!!  Even on the following day despite already being registered and having received their bar coded “Rando-Pass” which was scanned before, during and after each walk to ensure everyone was safe and accounted for – I did say it was well organised!, they came back for more bowing, oh and information!

The other surprising thing was how the French speakers on the registration desks panicked, not only when people didn’t speak French but also if they spoke French with a slight accent and the interpreters were urgently summoned with much shouting, arm waving and occasionally physically grabbed and pulled to the desk!!   So it transpired that I wasn’t only there for the English speakers, but the Japanese, Dutch, German, American, Belgian et al, most of whom fortunately spoke English and somehow my basic mispronounced French passed muster with the registration desks – it must have been the cool calm outward appearance, but like a swan I was paddling madly under the water!!

I decided to sign up for two walks, a nocturne (night walk) on the Friday evening (14 km)  and a short walk (13 km) on the Sunday morning allowing me to be back in time for the afternoon events, purchasing of awards, presentations, food and drink and more drink – I had to pace myself as I was driving!!  A short piece about these two walks and the walks in general will reinforce the immense and thorough organisation that goes into this event.  In total there are over 300 bénévoles (volunteers) carrying out various jobs; registration, marshalling, check points, refreshments, interpreters(!), announcers etc etc, the list is long!  There are also 4 teams responsible for the 4 days of walks and possibly another for the night walk.  It is their responsibility to plan the route, in conjunction with landowners where the route is over private land, making sure there are suitable areas for checkpoints / dropping off points.  They also make sure the routes are passable, cutting grass, overhanging trees, gaps in hedgerows and the like, as well as waymarking the route, indicating where it crosses private land and putting up warning signs for motorists where the route crosses roads and then ......  collecting them up again.  In addition on the night walk every road crossing and turn had a marshall and where on a road a car either side with a flashing orange light to warn and slow down passing motorists.  There was also a troupe of hunting horns to set the walk off, and they also popped up in a couple of places on route and at the refreshment stop, on the lawn behind a chateau there was a son et lumière and a company of actors acting out an historical pageant.  Other places on route included a small dry stone built “maisonette” consisting of two small low rooms, used as a small agricultural dwelling  - this was open to walkers with someone giving information, an interpretation board and a candle burning inside, and other buildings were illuminated to add to the fun.  I walked with a charming Belgian couple, who I had interpreted for earlier in the week!, the man spoke perfect English and wanted to practise and it was only half way around the walk I realised he was conversing in French with his wife, but it was French with a Flemish accent which was why my services were needed at registration!  We arrived back at about midnight to a “party in the park” and sat eating a supper of Vendée ham and mogettes (delicious local beans) which my new Belgian friends thoroughly enjoyed but were a little concerned about what effect they might have – they were staying in their camper van!!, listening to an accordion band filling the warm night air with music.

The walk on Sunday morning followed a very wet Saturday, making some parts a little muddy, but fortunately stayed dry until I returned with a fellow interpreter, a recently retired secondary Maths teacher and deputy head from a school in the Midlands, now living close by and accompanied by two Dutch friends he had made in the village.  Just to make me feel worst he speaks fluent French, Polish (useful for talking to the IML guest of honour from the Czech Republic, Czech being similar to Polish in the spoken form!) as well as English, although I have promised those I worked most closely with that next year I’ll speak more French!!  This walk was to the west of Chantonnay, the other three days being south, north and east, and covered some beautiful scenery, much of it similar to the Cotswold area of England, of which I am very familiar, and was clearly marked and most enjoyable.  The food on our return was tasty and then a short time afterwards, as I was staying for the day I received my meal and drink ticket, although lunch came with a glass of wine and aperitif if required, the drink ticket being for a further drink at the bar later!!  Sadly, the rain came back during the afternoon but did little to dampen everyone’s enthusiasm as we waited for the last walkers to return looking rather bemused by all the razzmatazz.  The finishing post was lined by a loud marching band and dancing girls who had been deafening us to such an extent that we thought next year the entertainment group should book a mime artist, and a large group of volunteers had met the stragglers out in the street with flags from all the participating nations – so much for slipping in unnoticed at the end, but it is all not competitive!

Everyone safely back and it was time for the presentations; the youngest walker (3), the oldest walker (83 from Japan – more bowing!), medals for various numbers of events completed 75 or over being presented on the podium and a special award for a local who had hoped to get to 75 on home turf at Chantonnay, but had met with an accident at the last event and ended up with a broken arm and possibly leg making it impossible to take part here!!  He took it all in great spirit and with much cheering and applause from his many friends and I’m sure he’ll be back to walk another day and get his medal!  Then after a number of speeches and thanks to all involved, there was a volunteer team photo and it was all hands to the clearing up.  We helped for a bit and were about to leave, our official stint over, when we were told there was a last thank you drink in the marquee and we couldn’t go without it, but could we please move a few more crash barriers first!!  In true French fashion we finished the clearing up and stood around for some time waiting, before a quick further speech of thanks from the Association President and we were served green cabbage (le chou vert) and Port, together with some more nibbles to soak it all up!  I should explain, the chou vert is a toxic looking bright fluorescent green drink, made we were instructed at great length out of; alcohol, white wine, orange juice, passion fruit, water and a green liqueur called curaçao.  There was a danger that we might have ended up being rather late as it is one of those things that different people have different recipes for, but we were spared the comparing of notes as the first informer was adamant that his was the definitive recipe and would listen to none other!  Contrary to the somewhat noxious look about it, it tasted better than it looked!!  The port was from one of the volunteers who was celebrating her birthday and it would have been uncharitable to have refused!!                  

It seems that once in, unless you seriously blot your copy book you become part of the volunteer group, as when we left our ears rang to many au revoirs, à bientots, bonsoirs and more importantly à prochaine année (until next year!) assuming that you’ll be there, but it was a great week and I certainly intend to be there and maybe my French will be more respectable and people won’t have the impression they might have got this year; that I’m the strong silent type!!