Together is better

"Do you play an instrument?" the host of the restaurant UNION at Naujac asked us in 2011, when we ate there one evening, "Then take part in the fête de la musique (Music Festival) on 21 June. Everyone is allowed to make music there." This is how we got to play our first gig with our two Styrian harmonicas in the Médoc. We had a lot of fun playing our rather unusual music in Naujac and there were even some couples who danced.

In 2009 we settled down in Naujac (our second home) after many years spending our holidays between Hourtin and Naujac on that beautiful Atlantic coast, discovering landscapes of the northern Médoc and the Gironde that were ideal for us: PURE NATURE!

In 2012 we again played in the open air at the fête de la musique. Together with our dear neighbour and her friends, we sung with great enthusiasm the "Naujacaise" to the tune of LA MADELON - a musical love letter to our commune with all its small localities.

Having seen a tiny notice in the Journal de Médoc we participated in a Franco-German picnic at the Phare de Richard. Although we did not know anyone, we felt warmly received in this circle. We enjoyed the beautiful weather, the delicious food and drinks, but most of all interesting conversations with friendly people in a sympathetic atmosphere. This spontaneous warmth is extraordinary for us and in some way also PURE MEDOC !

The picnic arose from an initiative by a group of German students of the "Association Amitiés Européennes" in Lesparre. It was a huge success - and the outcome was amazing for us too. Dieter, who visits a French course in Germany at Böblingen, was curious and wanted to "get a taste" of the German language course. So we sang German folk songs together and were astonished at how many differences there were between German and French daily life. Finally the idea of launching a partnership between the participants of the German course in Lesparre and those of the French course in Böblingen came up. Preparatory talks between the teachers are already taking place and soon the participants will have exciting and personally rewarding experiences.

2013 Dieter und Angela Botzenhardt (Naujac) translation by the author