End of the year soirèes – AVF Lunch at a Château

The AVF group we belong to always has an end of the year party, and this year Victoria and Régis, members of AVF, hosted us at their family château in the countryside.  The château has been in Régis’ family for generations, but they only use it  now for visits during the summer and occasional parties and weddings.  We appreciated their making it available to us!

The front of the château.

Roger and Gerard gave us a ride and were on set up duty so we helped set up, too.  While the guys were busy setting up tables, Victoria gave Anna a quick tour.  It was easy to imagine the château as it looked “back in the day.”  It remains impressive today.

Part of the dining room.

In the grand salon.

All the tables and chairs were set up in yard in the back of the château while the food tables were in what had been the carriage house.  We could still see horse collars and so forth stored above the large doors.

Setting up - back of the château on
 the right, carriage house on left.

David and Roger - the dynamic duo.

Before the actual lunch we enjoyed a variety of beverages and fruit, cheeses, salame, etc. The lunch itself was catered and included salads, cold cuts, etc. and, of course, amazing pastry desserts – perfect for the hot day.   No one was in danger of going away hungry or thirsty!

The soirèe in progress.

It was nice to have another chance before the summer break to connect with people.  Many of Anna’s friends from the lunch group were there with their husbands, and we took the opportunity of introducing them to each other.  We found that Sueli’s husband and David shared an interest in researching their families’ genealogy and both had government-issued documents attesting to the good character of an ancestor and listing other family members.  (One was from Italy, the other from France.)

At the end of a very pleasant afternoon, it was time for Monique, our president, to bring our soirèe to a close.  Everyone lent a hand and soon everything was cleaned up and removed.  We restored the château to  Victoria and Régis with our thanks and drove back to Lyon through the scenic countryside.