Fête des Vendanges

I just got back from the Fête des Vendanges in Russin.  A short 12 minute train ride outside of Geneva, Russin is a small town surrounded by vineyards and not a whole lot of anything else!  The train station is very small and the train itself is a lot smaller than any of the other trains we have taken outside of Geneva.  Danny, Maggie, Tommy, and I left an hour earlier than the big group that we met up with earlier and even though it was starting to rain when we left we were glad we made the trip earlier.  There was something quaint and special about wandering around town in a slight drizzle and before the big crowds arrived.  A little background on this two day festival:  this year marks Russin's 49th annual festival!  There are carnival type rides and games for "la fête des enfants" that happened yesterday, market vendors, and most importantly...food vendors!  Apparently it is possible to try or "gouter"135 different wines of 30 different varieties along with traditional food dishes.  Since it was a lot less crowded when we arrived around 1:15, we made a round around the whole town to scope out what was cheap and delicious looking.  We settled for some "white" sausage that was served with mustard, fries and bread.  The food was hot, delicious, and completely satisfying for a rainy, fall day.  I went up to thank the two women who had served us all and we ended up having the sweetest conversation, in French!  They asked where we were from, what we were doing here, etc. then one of the women proceeded to tell us about how her daughter and son-in-law live in Montreal and the differences she has noticed between their French language and actual French from France.  I still am not completely able to say exactly what I want without having to pause and think about it for a second but I hope that with every encounter, like this one today, I will gain more confidence and be able to mindlessly have conversations with people like I did today.

Even though we haven't quite made the complete transition to autumn weather, clacking around town in boots, being surrounded by the aroma of delicious foods, and hearing carnival game sounds made me feel like I was at the Puyallup Fair back home!  I guess I can settle for a festival in Switzerland to fulfill my "fair fix" for the fall:)  2:30 was the scheduled start time for the parade "de  chars  décorés  et  fleuris--a float parade!  Danny and I grabbed a crepe au sucre et some mulled wine for our parade entertainment!  We crossed the road just as the first groups passed through and met up with some other people we were with who had claimed part of a wall along the road for our viewing pleasure.  There was a group of Bolivian dancers who were so lively and fun to watch, various marching bands, and countless groups handing out candy, chicken, and wine!!  So random but such an animated environment and response from such a charming little village.  We wandered around, listened to the ongoing parade (that not only seemed to be re-circling the town but also playing various American songs like Avril Lavigne and Nelly Fertado...), and relaxed on some benches near the town center.  Our little group hopped back on the train and got back home a little after 5pm.  What a pleasant little getaway before settling down for the night to study for Public Health and try and get motivated for this Art History paper due Friday...why is it these weekends come and go so quickly?!  Pure bliss in Swiss, it's gotta be the reason:)

Delicious Lunch à la fête!
 

Ready for the Parade!

Russin