On Tour With an Orchestra - Vivace (Pays de Gex)

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We arrived in Geneva at a huge international church, in the shadow of the airport, just on the French side of the border. In the church our hosts for the next few days were there waiting for us. I had been a little worried about the idea of hosts. This was based on two previous experiences of French "hospitality" - one in a bed and breakfast in a little seaside village on the Brittany Coast where the owner scowled at us for the entire stay and the other in a hotel in Paris where the welcome was less than friendly. I was worried my French was not good enough to converse and meet our needs for a stay and I had found that where they could speak English they hid it very well.

When we met first Betty and then her husband Chris, it turned out I needn't have worried. They were the loveliest and most inspirational couple we could have hoped to meet. They took us to their home in the village of Sergy in the foothills of the Jura mountains which was the most beautiful setting imaginable with views across to Geneva and beyond to the Alps. The welcome they gave us was exceptional and we were soon talking to each other like old friends. Our accommodation was in an underground annexe to the house which provided real cooling relief from the heat of the day. We went upstairs and Chris had opened a bottle of wine and Betty was bringing food out. The sun was going down, casting an orange glow over their expansive garden. I felt at peace, in a way I hadn't in all of the busyness of life for a very long time. I slept so deeply that night that I woke feeling completely rejuvenated. I got up very early and wandered around the beautiful garden in my bare feet. Then, wanting to see a bit more of the area, I walked down the street in my bare feet too. The locals must have thought I was crazy. When I got back Lindsey and I went upstairs for breakfast and found that Chris had been to the bakery and brought back pastries which were delicious.

We got ready and then Chris took us back to the church where the orchestra would be rehearsing. Whilst they rehearsed I went and sat in the coolest room I could find because the heat was overwhelming. I ended up chatting with the conductor's wife, Fiona, whilst we folded programmes for the next couple of concerts. It was nice to have the opportunity to speak to someone away from the crowds of meal times. By the time we were done folding, the orchestra were done rehearsing and it was time for lunch. Having eaten, we set out to the concert venue - an open shelter in the town of Divonne-Les-Bains. In the fierce heat we worked to unpack the van and worked with people from the Mayor's office to set up the seating. Lindsey and I later learned that the mayor had been resistant to the idea of the concert but that he had visited for a few minutes between meetings and was really impressed with what he saw. Apparently our willingness to help each other and work together embodied all that he wanted the town to be. The turnout at the concert was quite small but there was some local interest. It was interesting how the sound completely changed as a result of being in the open air. Chris and Betty came to the concert and seemed to enjoy the music. They took us home where a meal was waiting for us. It had been a long hot day and we were glad to get into our nice cool bed.

Next morning I slept later so there was no time for barefooted rambling. Actually I had been hoping to take a short walk up the hill to take in the views but I didn't have time. Betty took us to the church where we got straight on the minibus for the short drive to our venue for the day. Even though it was only 10 o'clock the day was already extremely hot and only showed signs of getting hotter. We had the morning free to explore the town of Nyon. Taking the opportunity, Lindsey and I went to the pretty castle overlooking Lake Geneva. From there we wandered down into the old town, enjoying the narrow but pretty little alleys and the buildings around. We found an ice cream and then walked along the shore of the lake. By this time we were very very hot. We had been hoping to go swimming but we never found the swimming beach. Instead we found a nice cool sprinkler and ran through that. It was such a wonderful sensation that I went back for a second time. Drenched but very happy, we walked back up the hill into the town. On the way we walked through a garden with some Roman ruins which added interest. Below the ruins I spotted a cave and went to explore. It turned out to contain a bath with very cold water flowing into it. I couldn't resist taking off my hot and heavy walking boots and dangling my feet in it. The relief was amazing and I just wanted to stay there all day. My stomach was calling though and we had to get back to the church for lunch. By this time the van had arrived and I was needed to help unload it. I willingly offered my services, though the work was exceptionally difficult in the heat and every time I went outside I needed a few minutes to recover. To my delight it turned out lunch was pizza. We had lived pretty much on baguette and pork for the past few days. I don't mind this but after a while one wants variety And pizza was just what I needed.

After lunch there was a rehearsal and then some free time again. Some of the orchestra, including Lindsey, decided to use the free time to busk to raise awareness of the concert. I followed to photograph them. After a while we joined some of the other orchestra members at a brew-pub. The beer was delicious but at around £6 for half a litre was rather expensive. Whilst we were at the pub a local heard us talking and suddenly raised a toast to the queen. We didn't quite know how to react. Fortunately one of the group spoke fluent French and had a conversation with him, inviting him to the concert in the evening. After one drink Lindsey and I went off to the cave we had found earlier in the day and dipped our feet in again. We were later joined by another member of the orchestra, Gustav, and we had a good chat. Soon it was time to go back for more food which this time was chicken wraps. Then we wandered over to the concert venue which was a catholic church in the shadow of the castle. The scenery was spectacular, aside from the graffiti covered walls. The concert went really well and we all had a good time. At the end, one of the local churches had put on a wine reception so we drank wine as we packed away. We were running late so someone gave us a lift back to the church, though we were still late as we ended up in traffic. Chris was gracious about it but it was frustrating.

Next morning we had to say goodbye to Chris and Betty which was quite sad. We'd bought a gift and the world's most effusive thank you card. We posed for a few photos and then set off. Before we said goodbye we went with them to the local market in Ferney-Voltaire. The weather had changed... suddenly it was raining and we were in no way dressed for that. Also, as Lindsey walked into the market her shoe broke. As she was walking barefoot on the wet street, our first business had to be to get her a cheap pair of shoes. We eventually found the shoe stall at the end of the street and bought some rather ugly looking shoes for a few euros. Within a couple of hundred yards the buckle on them had broken. We went back to the stall and in broken French I explained the problem. The stall holder shrugged and handed us a new pair and then threw the old pair back on the pile. We walked away stunned. We just had time to buy some raspberries and cherries and then it was time to go. Chris and Betty took us to the church and we said a quick goodbye as they had to dash off to help a stranded orchestra member. We had half a day free to explore Geneva before the minibus took us to our final area.

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