Enjoying French cuisine
Chantilly Grand Stables
Each spring Dunmow Twinners have a 4-day visit to Dourdan or entertain Dourdan Twinners here. We also have shorter visits in the autumn.
Our Spring Visits to Dourdan (alternate years)
After arriving in Dourdan by coach we stay with French families in their beautiful town, getting to know them and experiencing their life, and their food and drink. This may sound daunting but actually works very well. Many of the hosts speak English so you don’t have to speak French, though if you do it is an opportunity to ‘brush up’.
A highlight of our visit is a day trip to somewhere very special. In recent years Dourdan have taken us to Giverny (the artist Monet’s beautiful water lily garden), Chantilly (wonderful chateau and grand stables), Fontainebleau (historic royal residence and Barbizon artists’ village) and the Loire valley (most recently, Amboise royal chateau – a UNESCO World Heritage site – and a nearby winery).
Amboise chateau
Wine tasting in Amboise caves
During our visit individual hosts take us somewhere nearby by car to visit perhaps gardens, windmills, even a historic aircraft museum, before the visit dinner and social evening (great food and wine, plus loads of fun).
Historic aircraft museum
Enjoying a song at dinner
Before leaving we are entertained by the Mayor to a short reception in the impressive town hall. Following fond (and lengthy) farewells we board our coach for the return trip, full of warm memories and bonhomie.
Fond farewells at the town hall
NB. For the May visit our members pay only for transport from Dunmow to Dourdan – the rest of the visit is free.
Dourdan’s Spring Visits to Dunmow
We return Dourdan’s hospitality in alternate years. They come to stay in our homes and we take them to places of special interest. In recent years we have taken our Dourdan friends to Windsor Castle, Bury St Edmunds and Hatfield House. The farewell dinner is always an enjoyable evening – in May 2015 it was superbly catered by top Dunmow restaurant Square 1 and we were entertained with live brass, piano and choral music throughout. Feedback from our 118 guests: ‘parfait / perfect’.
Hatfield House
Dunmow Wind Band entertain us at the dinner
To pay for the French visit we hold fund-raising social events such as a Caledonian Evening (an informal Burns Night), coffee morning, barbecue, and Fish & Seafood Supper – events with a reputation for being fun and excellent value. (Dourdan Twinners have their own fund-raisers, which is why we only pay for the transport when we visit them in spring.)