The trip to Lyon, where Yves would be waiting, involved a stop and a change of trains at Chambery Challes. Of course we didn’t know where that was, but we were able to understand some of the Italian announcements and, until we passed the border, it was not a concern. What was a concern was that the train had waited in the middle of nowhere for thirty minutes and then there was another lengthy stop, meaning the train was running about an hour late. We knew that we would miss the connection that Yves would be meeting, so we asked Astrid, sitting near us, if she would mind sending a text message to him for us. We had met her when I had asked a French couple if we were near Chambery Challes, and she had offered advice in English. Astrid proved to be wonderful company and, since she was also going to Lyon Part Dieu, we travelled the rest of the way sitting together. Born in Germany of Italian parents, she has made her life in Italy and now lives in Turin. It was very interesting to hear how migration created new loyalties and connections for some members of her family while she had maintained and created connections to her family’s country of origin.
We farewelled Astrid and then gathered up all our bags – easily the most of any travellers in the train. A man, who was so familiar to me from photos, was standing fairly near, scanning the platform for us. I simply said his name and he said mine and it felt as though we had known each other always. We kissed on both cheeks, as is the practice here, and then Yves and Keith greeted each other. It is thirteen years since we first learnt of the Primat family, when our son Joel went to live with them while he was in France for a year as an exchange student. Over that time, we have met their daughters, Marie and Emilie, when they came to stay with us, and Yves and Anne-Marie have had Rohan and Holly to stay. The exchange of children had not been quite complete since we were yet to meet Annelise, and our Aidan had not yet made it to France. Nevertheless, during all that time, we parents had not visited each other’s countries, so this was a very big moment for us and one that we had wished for over many years. It is hard to describe how happy I felt, and how at ease in Yves’ company. Our children had spoken so highly of him and Anne-Marie and we found Yves to be the easy going, friendly person with a great sense of humour that they had described. Best of all, he respected our need to practise French and, although he can speak quite a bit of English, he supported us in our stumbling first attempts in French.
Actually a strange thing had happened once we crossed the border and the announcements had been in French and people around us were speaking French. It was as if a locked cabinet of French was opened in my brain and I had some access, without thinking, to some words and phrases. I am sure that the same happened for Keith, because he was able to understand and speak much more than he had anticipated.
Yves drove us home to Quirieu (about 60 km east of Lyon). It is a really beautiful village of one hundred residents at the foot of a hill overlooking the Rhone River, sixty kilometres from Lyon. We had seen lots of charming little villages from the train windows, set in the fields near the mountains and now we were living in one. The house has a rounded section like a tower and many rooms, with an extensive ‘cave’ (cellar) and an addition above, which is like a complete apartment. We slept in the main part of the house, in the room that Joel had once occupied. We were pretty hot and exhausted from travelling, so we showered, had a tour of the garden and then lazed about with Yves, enjoying the shade in the garden under an apple tree. So many things about this place are similar to our home – books and newspapers, lots of fruit, badminton net, piano, a table that the family eats around, fruit trees, vegetable garden, all superficial but important similarities and we were to learn over time that we share many values and interests.
Anne-Marie and Annelise returned from work and it was just the same with Anne-Marie as it had been with Yves – a lovely welcome and the sense of being with family. Annelise was a bit of a surprise since we hadn’t seen a photo of her since she was much younger and here she was, a beautiful young woman who has just finished school.
Anne-Marie would not let me help cook – I was to rest on the first day – so we felt like royalty, just sipping aperitifs and chatting, and then enjoying a delicious meal on the terrace. It had been the most wonderful day and everything that we could have hoped for in meeting these people who had played a vital part in Joel’s life and had given the others such a warm welcome too.
That night we remembered to lock the French windows to our room – not against intruders but against their Alsatian dog, Arkan, who can open doors and let himself in.
Scenes from the train window in Italy and France
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