Houdan Trip 2026

At an early hour, a lively group of 39 members/ friends of the Twinning Association set off for Houdan near Paris. The forecast was good and at Dover it turned out to be a glorious day and we enjoyed a mini cruise just long enough to savour a couple of glasses of wine!

As we arrived in Houdan we were warmly greeted by our French hosts with glasses of kir while they explained our programme for the weekend. It looked like we were in for an action-packed weekend. We began with an excursion to Bercy Village in Paris, to the museum of Arts Foraines / the Museum of the art of the fun fair. No-one knew what to expect but it turned out to be the most enjoyable and fascinating visit ever! Bercy village had been the home of the world’s largest wine market for 200 years but when it became obsolete in the 1960s it was converted to galleries, boutiques and bistros. The piece de resistance in the museum is now a fascinating collection of roundabouts /carousels and automatons. A charismatic guide greeted us with gallic charm and an ability to simultaneously translate into English. He entertained us with fascinating facts and anecdotes, the history of fun fairs, the art of burlesque and commedia dell’arte and   we were actively encouraged to enjoy the fun of the fair. Like 5-year-olds we couldn’t wait to scramble on to horses, boats, buses, fire engines to enjoy the thrill of the roundabout!  But these were carousels originally built for adults by artists and skilled sculptors of their time to be used during decadent parties!! We danced waltzes, we watched mechanical automatons singing Mozart arias, we joined in mechanical horse racing. We were taken through grottos, passing under hot air balloons, watched can-can dancers hanging from ceilings with theatrical special effects. One interesting carousel was unique, instead of horses there were fixed pedal bicycles with the speed of the roundabout depending on the pedal power of the riders! We achieved a speed of 22kph with much puffing and panting but the record we were told was held by a group of pompiers (firemen) who managed to pedal up to 60kph                     

On Sunday as some of us are tennis players from Pangbourne tennis club, a fun tournament had been organised while others   learned to play pétanque. We were also invited to the Houdan shooting club and given the opportunity to have a go with their air pistols and air rifles. Meanwhile some of us were treated to an organ recital in the church performed by our very own George Freeman.

 The grand finale dinner was arranged for us in a nearby golf club – a truly beautiful setting. After a few speeches of thanks and congratulations we enjoyed a 3-course dinner and a quiz.

On Monday, with prolonged goodbyes we finally departed. Exhausted, but elated we all agreed that this was one of the best visits ever. A hard act to follow when our Houdan friends visit us next year in May but I’m confident we’ll come up with something!     




                            

 French Exchange May 2025

Houdan Trip 2026

At an early hour, a lively group of 39 members/ friends of the Twinning Association set off for Houdan near Paris. The forecast was good and at Dover it turned out to be a glorious day and we enjoyed a mini cruise just long enough to savour a couple of glasses of wine!

As we arrived in Houdan we were warmly greeted by our French hosts with glasses of kir while they explained our programme for the weekend. It looked like we were in for an action-packed weekend. We began with an excursion to Bercy Village in Paris, to the museum of Arts Foraines / the Museum of the art of the fun fair. No-one knew what to expect but it turned out to be the most enjoyable and fascinating visit ever! Bercy village had been the home of the world’s largest wine market for 200 years but when it became obsolete in the 1960s it was converted to galleries, boutiques and bistros. The piece de resistance in the museum is now a fascinating collection of roundabouts /carousels and automatons. A charismatic guide greeted us with gallic charm and an ability to simultaneously translate into English. He entertained us with fascinating facts and anecdotes, the history of fun fairs, the art of burlesque and commedia dell’arte and   we were actively encouraged to enjoy the fun of the fair. Like 5-year-olds we couldn’t wait to scramble on to horses, boats, buses, fire engines to enjoy the thrill of the roundabout!  But these were carousels originally built for adults by artists and skilled sculptors of their time to be used during decadent parties!! We danced waltzes, we watched mechanical automatons singing Mozart arias, we joined in mechanical horse racing. We were taken through grottos, passing under hot air balloons, watched can-can dancers hanging from ceilings with theatrical special effects. One interesting carousel was unique, instead of horses there were fixed pedal bicycles with the speed of the roundabout depending on the pedal power of the riders! We achieved a speed of 22kph with much puffing and panting but the record we were told was held by a group of pompiers (firemen) who managed to pedal up to 60kph                     

On Sunday as some of us are tennis players from Pangbourne tennis club, a fun tournament had been organised while others   learned to play pétanque. We were also invited to the Houdan shooting club and given the opportunity to have a go with their air pistols and air rifles. Meanwhile some of us were treated to an organ recital in the church performed by our very own George Freeman.

 The grand finale dinner was arranged for us in a nearby golf club – a truly beautiful setting. After a few speeches of thanks and congratulations we enjoyed a 3-course dinner and a quiz.

On Monday, with prolonged goodbyes we finally departed. Exhausted, but elated we all agreed that this was one of the best visits ever. A hard act to follow when our Houdan friends visit us next year in May but I’m confident we’ll come up with something!     








 Pangbourne Twinning biannual visit to Houdan near Paris France 3rd-6th of May 2024

This year we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the first French leg of our French Twinning visits between Houdan and Pangbourne. A weekend of fabulous events, sports and activities that took place in a friendly and fraternal atmosphere that will live long in the memory

We arrived from Pangbourne late on Friday evening. A 42 person English delegation who were warmly welcomed by their hosts with a reception at the town hall. Some travellers meeting old friends once again and some being introduced for the first time. After a few words of welcome, we dispersed to spend the evening with the host families.

On Saturday morning, the French and English families all gathered at the town cemetery to pay tribute to the British and Canadian airmen who died on French soil during the second world war. We were able to see that though 80 years has passed the memories and the gratitude of the French and depth of emotion remains intact. That afternoon the official ceremony to renew the two twinning oaths was held in the grounds of the village event hall. With members of the music school, who did us the honour of playing the English and French national anthems. Following the ceremony, Jean-Marie Tétart the mayor of Houdan accompanied by the two presidents of the committees on both sides of the Channel, planted a maple tree in the grounds, symbolizing the continuing friendship between Houdan and Pangbourne. Many of the group members also took it in turns to wield the shovel, lending a hand to get the tree into the ground. Afterwards, everyone gathered for a delicious cocktail and a finger buffet which provided an opportunity to share the many memories of the past 40 years, but also to talk about ideas for the future.

At the end of the day everyone headed off for a special treat in the capital city with an evening of “Paris by night”, a cruise on the Bateaux Mouche on the River Seine that was truly delightful. As night fell, we were treated to the gradual illumination of the city, culminating in the sparkling Eiffel Tower. As you can imagine many photos were taken of this magical sight and fabulous memories made.

On Sunday, after a free morning with our hosts, ( some visiting Chartres, local markets or even the garden of Giverney ) the sports activities began, seamlessly  organized as part of the “2024 fraternity games”( part of the legacy of the Paris Olympic games) on the one hand, a tennis tournament in which 10 players from each country competed in partnership   and on the other hand, Franco-British pétanque matches organised by the Houdan pétanque club.

 To round off the weekend, the entire group and their families gathered at a local restaurant for an excellent dinner punctuated by great conversation, thank you speeches, an idioms quiz and the presentation of a silver salver to engrave each year to record our exchanges in years to come.  The evening was warm and convivial, all expressed in food, wine, laughter, music and song. Thanks to Christine Caldi and Phil Bates for their musical interlude culminating in a resounding group choral of “Champs Elysee.”

 A huge thank you also for the work of the two committees who worked hard to make the weekend so successful and to our French hosts who gave up their time and welcomed us into their homes

Monday morning as always arrived too soon. It was with great sadness and mixed emotions that we said goodbye to our friends and with warm hearts and heads full of memories we set off back to Calais to return to Pangbourne.  Of course, the good news is that we are already planning a rendezvous for this side of the Channel for the first weekend of May 2025.

Why not join in the fun next year and take part as a host? You just need to live in Pangbourne or in one of the surrounding villages and be prepared to accommodate one or two people or a family from Houdan.

 

Pre planning

We anticipate that the coach will leave at 8 am from Pangbourne village hall on Friday 3rd May and return to Pangbourne at 6 pm ish on Monday 6th May. (Timings will be confirmed nearer the time.)
We are travelling to Dover and crossing the channel by ferry which should give us time to have lunch and stretch our legs. From here we will head south to Houdan and the welcome reception that awaits us at the Hotel de Ville (town hall).  This will give us a chance to meet our hosts and receive a welcome drink. There may be a few short speeches and then we can head off to the home of our host for an evening meal and the chance to rest.
Our hosts will have organised a full weekend of fun and friendship, good food and wine and a chance for us to try Petanque and for the tennis players to enjoy a  mixed tournament.
There will be opportunities to spend time with your host and for old hands to rekindle friendships and a chance to do some sightseeing. 

If you are new to our exchange you will soon find the warmth and hospitality of the people from Houdan will foster new friendships and we hope you will build new links and want to invite your hosts back to your home next year. 
To find the best host for you please reply to this email with some general details about yourself. rough age range. Interests and hobbies. Whether you like to speak French or would prefer an English speaker. Anything that you feel would help us to match you with the right host for you? 

John Steele our treasurer will be contacting you soon as the full cost of £150 now needs to be paid,  if you have paid a deposit you now owe £100. Please pay
Pangbourne Twinning bank account. 
Account number 93378858    Sort Code 518122
Please use your surname as the reference.
All payments must be made by the end of February as we now need to pay for the coach. 
Please do contact me at lkilsbysteele@btinternet.com  if you have any questions regarding the trip.