Leni on the Road to Pontarlier : October 2015

I had a week off from school in October. For this vacation, I went to the other side of the country to visit the mother of a very good friend of mine who lives in the small city of Pontarlier in Franche-Comté, east of France, bordering Switzerland.

From Rouen, I took two trains and a bus to get to Pontarlier. It almost took me a day but it is always a pleasure taking train rides. Although I have to admit, that change I had to do in Paris from Saint Lazare station to Gare de Lyon was such a hassle. I had to take a metro from one station to another and it was a complete disaster! I only had less than an hour to get myself from Saint Lazare to Gare de Lyon, and mind you, Gare de Lyon is an enormous train station! Suffice it to say, I got in my train, settled on my seat and the moment my butt touched the cushion, the train started accelerating. Not my first and definitely not the last time I almost missed my ride.

Moving on, I arrived in Pontarlier in the middle of the night and luckily, Eve was there to pick me up. She had previously informed me hours before that she gathered a few of her friends for dinner and that she had prepared a special meal for all of us.

We had some hors d’oeuvres and white wine de la région. I’m no connaisseuse about wine but this one was strong enough to get my head spinning. It wasn’t so much of it being a strong wine but mainly because I had an almost empty stomach. Soon after, we would feast upon what Eve had prepared for that night: raclette, a type of cheese which is to die for especially if melted, and boiled potatoes plus a few sliced and smoked meat. I had this impression that I was up for a shot at the guillotine the following day because the ladies would always fill my plate with more meat, potatoes, salad and cheese, oh and don't forget the wine! It was such a good meal. Actually, all throughout my stay, I always had a good meal. At one point, I was eating a rabbit. Oh, poor little fella 😕

The next few days, Eve took me around town. On one day, I was lucky to catch some sort of festival in town where a thousand cows and horses from the nearby villages are showcased in the city center. Later, I was informed that this comice (an agricultural show) only happens once every five years. I have never seen so many beautiful cows of all varieties in my entire life! They were all so healthy and well taken care of, too. You would imagine that there was also a huge amount of poo on the streets but that’s part of the fun!

We also went to the nearby Chateau de Joux. It was beautiful especially at night!

I had such a wonderful time. I missed the love and care of a mother. Although no one could replace the place of my own mother (of course), I’m glad I felt some TLC with Eve. But more than that, she is also a very good friend. One afternoon, we went to Lac Saint Point, her son’s most favorite part of town. This was a dream come true. The view was a type of picture I would only see in paintings in TV, not even in real life. And I was there, for real. In front of me was the real thing and I couldn’t be more thankful. We drove further around the lake and settled on a bench, looking upon the setting sun, talking about our lives.

I spent a total of five days in her place, two of which were spent in the nearby Swiss town of Yverdon-les-bains and the capital of the region, Besançon. More on that in another post!