Campagne champagne Comte

We just got back to Furth, Germany. We've been all over since leaving Switzerland.
First we went through France after picking up a rental car at the Geneva airport. Here's a bit I wrote last week.

Campagne champagne Comte

We're in Poligny where the Polignists come from! Actually they make great cheese here. Yesterday we left our little apartment in Montreux, said goodbye to Ann and Berny. They kindly picked us up and dropped us at the Montreux railway station. Many thanks for your hospitality and great food, we really enjoyed the relaxed space you provided for us. We continue with our stomaches full and family connections renewed.

On the train to Geneva we met a German speaking man. He shot out of the compartment when we went in. We were thinking we'd chose to be in a non child freindly bit too if we could. But a few minutes later he came back all sullen and ashen faced. He sat down and almost broke down...He said something terrible has happened to me. We prepared ourselves for the worst (internally going, lalalala). Out came a story of his favourite jacket which he'd just relined for 250 Francs ($300 dollars approx) this is a jacket he loved. He spoke about it like a favourite dog or even a child? Describing it's softness and silky lining the rich black colour, how many years he'd had it, how much he loved it. He was almost in tears! He'd gone into one compartment then changed and forgotten his jacket. I was thinking ungenerously get over it already and claim insurance. Wendy listened for over an hour soothing him with her empathy and kind words. We even had to buy the man lunch and she gave him my jacket to make him feel better. (Actually I made that last bit up, but she was thinking it!!! He gave us a 5Fr voucher for coffee on the train that the nice conductor had given him).

At the airport we again walked to France. The French looked all serious and there were forms to fill in. Thankfully I asked if I needed to fill them out before we went through. The guys asked us for our passports then looked at the nice rich dark blue colour checked they looked like passports from a distance with the requisite thickness then grunted "Merci". We took them back, do we look that dirty that they don't want to even touch them? I mean have you smelt their cheese? Odd they didn't even look at our nice photos we'd had specially tinted to have year round tans and stunningly luminescent eyes! Oh well. We do feel slightly ripped off though. Imagine going through the States after this it would seem like a full rubber glove treatment in comparision. Why did I have to spend so much on a passport, I could have brought my Mickey mouse club ID card, (not that I have one hehherher) Enough about passports, sorry it will not be mentioned again.

On a more serious note, there are many reminders of the terrible battles that have taken place here. Just near Rennes sur Loue, a tiny hamlet in Jura, we saw a small stone plaque saying "Quand on n'a pas tout donne on a rien donne. Ici Pierre Dole volontaire F.F.I est tombe le 2 aout 1944" (Roughly "When you haven't given everything you have given nothing"). Carpe diem!