Twinning Visit to Bénodet May 2018  Peter McLaren (Twinning Chairman)

Our Benodet visit April 2018 .
All the organising complete by the committee now puts us all in a state of pending excitement for the relaxing weekend with our friends in Benodet.
Personally, after a channel crossing, which was kind weather wise, the down side was a late night in the bar on the Pont Aven listening to a friends’ life story and consuming a large amount of beer. This probably would not have happened if the cabaret had been a little more entertaining, , with the magician taking forty minutes just to make one egg disappear and then re -appear and all the time you could see the egg bulging in his sleeve…….magic?
Never mind my friend has had an amazing life, so the re-appearing egg was a lot less entertaining.

Up bright and early to take breakfast in the Restaurant and prepare for our journey on the coach to Benodet, which turned out to be fun with Nigel Bunker plotting our route to rendez-vous with our Breton counterparts.
We arrive a little behind the planned time, due to security on the Ferry, which is so necessary in these times.
A great welcome was ready to greet us as normal and we were a whisked away by with our hosts. The next planned gathering was at “Le Mairie” to be given an official welcome from Monsieur Christian Pennanech, with champagne and canapes…… lovely.
This was the time to introduce our new members and they must have ben impressed with the whole occasion.
The following morning was the start of the trip to Audierne a lovely little town on the coast and en-route stopping at a Distillerie to sample the products being processed there.


We then visited an Aquarium and to round off the day by seeing a display of birds of prey which was a fantastic experience, especially with the low flying “Bald Eagle” which was so close that I left the arena “ a new parting in my hair”….. my word that was close!!
We returned to Benodet and the evening was “soirees” at different venues where we all ate some superb meals so generously provided by our hosts.


Sunday morning and there was a free day to spend with our hosts and more food and drink were supplied in liberal amounts which was not good preparation of the Sunday night Buffet and Dance.

This was the farewell evening before we returned home the following morning and what great night where the principle and meaning of “the Jumelage is mearsurable…..with such a great friendly ambience …… ce manifique.!!!
The next morning we all boarded the coach after saying our farewells and headed off to the ferryport at Roscoff.
Great times and memories all safely stowed in our minds and now have a few days to recover from the generousity of our Friends in Benodet.

Vive La Jumelage

Peter McLaren.