Toto's infamous Viper in a Bottle.
Toto Pons with his Viper in a Bottle
On the trip to France this past April, we drove out to Mailly to visit with Toto Pons at The Palace.
His house was quite literally the area "Palace" many years ago. Toto is an unabashed bachelor farmer out in Charolet country. He was the neighbor across the road from Christian's Grandparent's Country House, and a great storyteller. We had cafe espresso and cookies while we chatted. Toto brought out the Eau des Miserables (Water of the Miserable) -- the famous Viper in a Bottle that is about 100 years old.
On my first trip to France in 2000, we stopped at Toto's farm with the Johner cousins (Laurent, Delphine, and Katrine). That was when I first heard/saw this Viper in a Bottle. I would not have believed it, if I hadn't seen it myself! Toto explained that this was the medicine of the day. The bottle was filled with alcohol, but it had to be strong enough to kill a viper. This one was most assuredly dead. And you had to imagine, a person willing to drink this was indeed miserable.
This is a story I've always remembered, so I was pleased to finally get a picture of it!
The beautiful countryside around Mailly, France. This is where Christian spent quality time with his grandparents, with many fond memories :
Toto's farm is on the left side of the road; The Barons country home is on the right side of the road. The orchard runs up the hill behind the house.
This is The Grandparent's house across the road, formerly owned by Marguerite and Antoine Baron. They had an orchard that ran up the hill behind the house, with bee hives to pollinate them. When Christian would visit, his Grandfather would give him "honey and money."
Toto's Palace on the other side of the road. It is still a working farm today.
In fact, I saw a squashed and dried viper on the driveway that day.
Toto and Christian discussing the old days.
You can see the bottle in the lower left corner. It's always fun to hear Toto tell stories!
Lilacs on Toto's kitchen table. See another version of Toto's lilacs.
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