4 June, 2009

Visitors from Stuehlingen were warmly received.

The English Twinning Village of Bellême is worth a visit! As representatives of the Stuehlingen / Bellême committee Tina and Michael Bartel, together with their son David, travelled to England to take part in the 30^th Anniversary of the Bellême / Goring Twinning.  Michael Bartel conveyed the official congratulations from the Mayor Isolde Schaefer.  On reflection he was very impressed by the welcoming party, accompanied by bagpipes, attended by committee member Sylvie Maniglier and many other official guests plus friends from Bellême. No surprise that the French Twinning Committee is also responsible for the exchange with their English counterpart.

The Bartels appreciated how beautiful it is in Goring through the extensive programme of events, all of which took place in glorious sunshine.

These included visits to 3 gardens as well as a Village Quiz to find the cultural treasures of Goring. ”We were overwhelmed by the picturesque beauty of the village where houses and gardens are fashioned with a lot of love and charm” enthused the Stuelingers. The whole village contributed to the Anniversary celebrations with fitting decorations and the Library exhibited photographs that included pictures of Stuehlingen.

The second day of the Anniversary took us by boat on the Thames through beautiful countryside to Windsor. A visit to the Commonwealth Air Force Memorial was followed by a Church Service in Goring.

Michael Bartel still remembers the warm reception by the Committee and the host family clearly saying “It is good to see you here”.