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In the Burgundy (Bourgogne) region of France, between Dijon and Lyon, past fields of sunflowers, amid vast expanses of vineyards, lies a creamy slice of Camembert . . . oops, I mean a nice little village (pop. 1500) called Couches (koosh). [view postcard] When Mathis was in school, he was an exchange student there. So on the weekend of July 18-20, we went to visit his host family.
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After a rather uninteresting four-hour drive (I slept), we arrived at lunchtime Saturday, just in time for an aperitif, which was a tasty peach liquor. I soon discovered that lunch and dinner are served with before, during, and after drinks. Aperitifs were usually sweet -- either a liquor or wine. During meals, we drank as many as three different kinds of wine. Afternoon meals were followed by wine and cheese (mighty FINE Camembert), and after evening meals, something a little stronger (like schnapps).
After lunch, our host Laurent (who doesn't like wine or beer!) drove us to the local town of Beune, where we sat at an outdoor cafe and had a few beers, then strolled through the old town. Saturday evening, we went to dinner with Laurent and his friends, Thoma and Pascale. Mathis and Thoma hit it off immediately, having a common interest/obsession in fishing. The guy was telling Mathis that he "klunks" when he's fishing for catfish. That means that he hits the water with a piece of wood to drive the fish up off the bottom. Mathis was excited, 'cause he saw it once on a fishing show.
Coming back from the restaurant, we walked through the town square, where they were having a mini-fair. They had a kiddie ride and bumper cars, as well as a two-trailer arcade AND (believe it or not) cotton candy. At evening's end, the five of us enjoyed a nightcap with Laurent's parents in their lovely, walled garden. We drank rattafia (sp?), which is zwetschgen in german, and in english, plum schnapps.
Every year in Couches, they put a wooden bird in a box, put the box on a 60-foot/20-meter pole, and every man (and a few women) take turns trying to shoot it down. But the trick is that they first have to march around the village, stopping to have some wine. So Sunday morning, Mathis had to get up early and march in the parade with Laurent. When I heard the band coming down the street, I got out of bed, opened the window, waved at Mathis as he marched by, and went back to bed. A little later, I accompanied Laurent's parents to the festivities. Besides the shooting range, there was a nice area set up with tables and benches, a bar and lawn bowling, all under three HUGE chestnut trees.
After the first few unsuccessful rounds, everyone took a break for lunch. We went back to the house and cooked slices of beef, turkey and duck on a hot stone (really). Then I had a lesson in "French pleasure," as we enjoyed a bottle of some famous red wine (which I, of course, never heard of), and cheese heaven with the Camembert.
The 100-degree afternoon didn't make our return to the festival too enthusiastic. I spent the remainder of the day in a sunny spot in the garden, sleeping with a book on my lap. (Doesn't that sound like something you would do in France?)
That evening, we joined the Budin family for their Sunday family dinner at the grandparents' apartment. We had already met almost everyone, and they were super friendly and hospitable. It was a great and really unique and thought-provoking experience. And of course the food and drinks were suberb -- especially the beans from grandpere's garden.
After dinner, Laurent and Mathis and I made a little night tour
of the town -- church, school, some nostalgia sites for them,
someplace the band Aha made a video . . . We then continued the tour
by car, driving down to the castle to see if it was lit up, then out
to the lake which is now a campground. ("Wow," he said, "it changed a
lot." In 15 years? Duh.) We also saw an amazingly-beautiful,
fairy-tale house, which will be pictured here soon. It used to be a
hospital, but is now conditionally privately owned.
Monday, July 20 
Of course I couldn't leave Couches without seeing the castle, so that was our Monday agenda. It's called Château de Couches or Château de Marguerite de Bourgogne. Marguerite was the daughter of one King Henry, and was allegedly locked away there to keep her away from her many lovers. But I don't know if that was really effective, since there are underground tunnels between the castle and the village! We had to go on a guided tour, since three different families live in various buildings of what was once an 11-tower fortress. Although we only got to visit two building (towers), it was nice to have only seven tourists in the group. Not like Neuschwanstein.
We also paid a visit to the cemetary, and it was great having Laurent give us some narrative and answer some questions. Cultures are just as different in death as in life. In Couches, the graves face four different directions, to accomodate the pathways. If there's no upkeep on a grave for about 60 to 70 years or so, they put a sign on it and sell it. People who died in the psychiatric hospital can stay buried there forever. Visitors leave not only flowers, but porcelain "remembrances." Some markers are stone, and some are iron, with railings around them.
After another fine, alcohol-free lunch, we looked at pictures of La Vivre. This is a festival held in Couches every 20 years. It's based on the good riddance of a local dragon, "La Vivre," who was terrorizing the land. According to legend dateable to 1328 C.E., the magician Yoata wove a spell with his flute, and led La Vivre to be put to death by fire. They have relived this legend every 20 years since 1888, and Laurent had pictures from every one back to 1908. Their town of 1500 people swells to 30,000 as crowds fill the streets to see the dragon, led by Yoata, and followed by an assortment of medieval townspeople, peasants, gypsies and probably some wine drinkers. They always make a new dragon, and I guess they probably burn the current one at the end of the three-day fest. The dragon of 1988 was the best so far.
Is this background too dark? Someone please let me know.
http://www.moonchild.ch/Travel/Couches.html