Servas Mainz visits Servas Dijon again
2026, May 28–31
After the Servas group in Dijon had recovered from organizing last year's SICOGA event, the Mainz group was invited back to visit their partner city, Dijon, this year.
As always, the organizers planned an interesting program featuring excursions, sightseeing tours, and shared picnics and dinners.
Things kicked off on Thursday evening with a welcome aperitif in the garden of Marie Noël and Paul Henri—a host couple who have been deeply committed to this exchange from the very beginning (over ten years ago).
One evening, Jolande and Paul—also core members of the Dijon Servas group—prepared dinner for the entire group at a local community center. For the grand finale, everyone gathered for breakfast at the home of Françoise and Michel, who have been active with Servas for only a few years but with tremendous enthusiasm.
Both the host team and the Mainz group included newcomers who were thrilled to experience this type of Servas gathering.
In addition to the group activities—which involved between 15 and 18 participants this time—there was plenty of time for guests to have in-depth conversations or do things with their respective hosts.
The hospitality we enjoyed was overwhelming, and the atmosphere was warm and open.
The French hosts deserve special praise for their logistical skill in providing excellent meals alongside a packed itinerary. In turn, they appreciated the wines from Rheinhessen and the local beers we contributed to the buffets.
We sincerely hope that a group from Dijon will accept our invitation to visit Mainz next year.
Ideas for the program were already bubbling up during our time in Dijon.
(text: Margret K. photos: Margret K., Sibylle K.)