My first visit to France was in 2005. That visit was to attend, cover and report events of the prestigious Festival d Cannes.

That trip was facilitated by then DG of National Film and Video Censors Board Mrs Rosaline Odeh who told me that I had reported Nollywood so well and should see the world clearer at Cannes film festival.

In February of that year I had been to Berlin international film festival.

On that trip to Cannes. I was lodged at hotel Victoria, Grasse, some fifteen minutes to Cannes by train.

I had reserved two hotel rooms; one at Cannes and another in Grasse.

My hotel booking in Cannes was cancelled without notice because of reasons I was not given but I noted that it was highly competitive so I traced my Grasse reservation. I never regretted going to Grasse because I was exposed to appreciating the huge cosmetics industries of the community in the south of France.

My second visit was to Paris in 2009 at the instance of Isaac Izoya during the cultural integration event featuring Dr and Mrs Palmer Omoruyi anchored by Lady Joy Hurth Osunde of Alele Entertainment.

On that trip, I had boarded a night bus from Berlin passing through Brussels and arriving at Paris as early as 6:50 a.m. into the waiting arms of Joy known to many as Alele.

Ever since that meeting, we had succeeded in building a family bond of friendship, brotherhood and sisterhood too.

This my third visit to France in 2022 was made possible by the express invitation of Alele who has made Martigny Les Bains, the small french commune with rich history home in the past few years.

It Is interesting to note that Edo state Nigerian born Alele is the only Nigerian and one of the only three African adults living in the community.

Add her five sons; Ludovic. Dimitri (twins) Xavier, Yriex and DD and the population of Africans in Martigny swells to eight in all.

Alele is a multi-skilled personality. A woman of many parts, she is a health worker, a trained caterer, a farmer and an event organiser. It is the latter vocation that has made her so popular.

Alele once had an international management relationship with Late Uncle P Voombastic and is yet to come to terms with his sudden death barely a year ago. They had big plans.

On her last visit to Nigeria, we had jumped and pranced all over Lagos with the promise that we paint France so red whenever I am in the EU again.

However she had relocated to the Vosges Department of the Grand Est of Northern France when I was set to visit.

I got booked unto a Blabla bus number 30485 headed from Frankfurt to Metz, France on one Thursday afternoon. I was driven to the bus terminal at Stuttgarterstr by Lamin, my Gambian ‘brother’ who raced against time to arrive at the nick of time. Lamin works for the Deutsch Post DHL. I had met him while missing my way one day in the streets of Frankfurt and asked him for direction. I would see Lamin more and more from then.

The bus left Frankfurt at 5 minutes past 12 noon arriving Metz at 16:35 p.m. It had stopped over at Mannheim and Saabrucken in Saarland as well as other stops before our arrival at Metz.

I picked up bus number 50469 which boarded at 17:20 p.m. arriving Nancy at 18:15 p.m. I had only heard about Nancy before then because of their popular soccer team.

From the Blabla bus Nancy center at Rue De St Catherine, I quickly trotted beside a fellow passenger, a woman from Martinique. She knew the direction to the Nancy central station and opted to assist. We rode in the city tram so I could catch the last SNCF bus headed to Contrexeville at 19;15 pm. Contrexeville is immediate neighbour to Martigny Les Bains. The big casino at Contrexeville was jammed with people enjoying live music action when I arrived the station (Gare) at 21:15 pm. Yet the summer period made it look like the day was just starting.

There must have been much anxiety about my safe arrival by my host family. The all-round excitement showed as we rode in my hosts Renault car to Martigny Les Bains.

The drama and welcome party started immediately with the children all trying to outdo each other at hosting me with their various gifts. However we resorted to sign language as they spoke only French while I could only speak English.

DD, the last son dragged me to show me my room. While trying to make a choice between wine and spirit or mineral water, DD handed me a frozen can of energy drink. It was his choice for me which he had reserved for days in expectation.

The three canine Inmates of the family Buhari, Putin and Nicolene were not left out in the welcome party for an August visitor. And it was in August. Nicolene soon latched on me waiting on me for extra play throughout my stay.

For four days. I was meted out with all manner of high dosage of hospitality from dinning and wining at home to strolling into the farm house behind the house to see the goats, feed the chicken, greet the turkeys and the rabbits which even littered their cage with babies on the day of my departure.

First thing that a visitor notes in Martigny Les Bains is that you hardly see people walking on the road. The streets seem deserted as residents own one mobility or the other including tractors (most people are farmers). Some others own Peugeot. Citroen and Renault cars as well as bikes and bicycles.

Also visible are haystacks of all sizes and expansive farmlands and ranches for all kinds of livestock.

Unforgettable take aways for me from this trip include cruise to Epinal, the capital city of the Vosges Department (region), the drive through Bulgneville and to Vittel, home to Vittel water. World renowned Swiss food company Nestle also has a grand presence in the area with massive factories at Vittel and Contrexeville.

Hiking at the man-made lakes and tasting the famed natural spring waters of the area at the casino at Contrexeville gave me much pleasure. So did the shopping spree and window shopping, searching for what was not searching for me. Hahahaha!!!!

We also toured Parc De Thermal Martigny twice because the sight of the ducks whirling on the lake remains bewitching.

It is the main tourism centre of Martigny Les Bains with a hall for community events including weddings.

There’s a library and a museum storing antiques to see.

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

There is a full calendar of cultural activities at Martigny Les Bains which include the Festival Station Thermal Source Savonneuse which celebrates the rich spa history of the commune.

This is held through four months; from May to September every year featuring theatre, concerts and sports competition of golf and law tennis for all including children.

Another festival held in the commune is the 2 days Les Tempes de Sources. In 2022, it was held 2 and 3 July attracting community folks together for recreation. Residents see this as a festival of history where the people recreate and celebrate their rich cultural heritage.

Also a yearly feature is the festival of snails held as Foire aux escarges (snail fair/market)

I was told that a resident took advantage of the many special specie of snails found in abundance around the rail lines to prepare a special delicacy which grew to become celebrated as an attraction in his bar. According to the story it later became attractive to the people and was taken over by the community and held every year in May.

FOOD

For food, people of Martigny Les Bains like most people of the Vosges area enjoy a special cake called Quiche Lorraine. They also eat a special sausage called Pate Lorraine recognised as special cuisine both in France and internationally.

Before I left for Frankfurt the same way I came, I had met Valdemar Fernandes who was born and raised in the commune by Portuguese parents; and his partner, Vanessa Ledig. I also met Aline, the Senegalese woman of God in whose home I tasted the Senegalese jollof rice agreeing that Nigerian jollof is still the best. At my request she also played for me some rare performances of respected Senegalese super star Yousou Ndour beamed from her large screen TV.

Meeting with the Mayor of Martigny Les Bains Mr. Didier Humbert even when he was on vacation was an icing on my cake. Our brief discussion on the community’s history and many tourism attractions while standing at his office reception also made my day. He postponed a sit down chat for next time.

The return journey to Frankfurt started with an SNCF bus departing Contrexeville Gare at 6:25 a.m. headed to Nancy. This early journey took off with only me and an elderly couple as passengers and ended at 7:40 a.m.

This time I had to employ a sense of my early geography lessons to stroll from Nancy central station tracing through the tram lines to Rue De St Catherine where I boarded Blabla bus 50478 at 8:50 a.m. headed to Metz again.

It arrived Metz at 9:45 a.m. I had to wait till 12:35 p.m. to board bus number 30480 to Frankfurt arriving 17:00 p.m.

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