Spain 26,
Oct. 16, 2026,
Hi Everyone,
Vincent agreed to drive me to Valognes where I would board the train to Paris. There was some discussion as to the time it would take to get to Valognes from Carteret. Vincent wanted to cut the time rather close. I agreed as long as he would drive me to Caen if I missed the train. In the end, I arrived at Valognes with 20 minutes to spare.
The train ride was pleasant. The Normand country side is very pretty. All the buildings and farm have been renovated, respecting the style of Normandy. The buildings are all made of stone with no stucco which is seen in other areas such as Brittany.
The train arrived in Paris on time allowing me 54 minutes to cross Paris from la Gare St Lazare to la Gare de l’est. I had 1 heavy suitcase and 1 rather heavy carry on containing my over size motorcycle helmet. They now have moving escalators and elevators to transport passengers from different floors. This makes things much easier. In the past I well remember dragging luggage up and down staircases. I arrived 15 minutes early allowing me time to have a croissant and capuchino Chez Paul. I then boarded the TGV to Reims which travels 325 km/hr arriving 45 minutes later.
Patrick was there to meet me at the station. We exchanged the usual compliments saying ‘my, you have not changed a bit’ knowing of course that we both have gotten considerably older over the years. We drove to Patricks house where his wife, Genevieve was there to meet me. On the other hand she has really not changed a bit from when we were students.
We have been friends for over 55 years. I spent 5 years in Reims doing medical school from 1971 to 1976 eventually meeting my wife Dominique there and importing her to Canada. We spent the afternoon walking around Reims. Reims is a city with a population of 500,000. All of the major champagne companies have offices and champagne caves in Reims. Beneath the city are hundreds of kilometers of tunnels where champagne is aged and stored. This makes the construction of a subway system impossible. The region from Reims south to Epernay is where all of the champagne grapes are grown, Naturally the region is called Champagne.
Reims has undergone considerable renovation since I left 50 years ago. All of the downtown buildings have been sandblasted to return the buildings to their original colour. Many streets have become pedestrian streets only. There are cafes and restaurants everywhere. The main square, Place d’Erlon is lined with cafes and was very busy. We passed by 23 rue Jean d’Arc where I make my yearly pilgrimage. I lived there for 2.5 years with Dominique. Rue Jean d’Arc is 1 street away from Place d’Erlon. After finishing my courses at 5:00 pm as a medical student, I would religiously walk over to Place d’Erlon have a glass of ‘petit rouge’ and play pinball machines while waiting for Dominique to return home after work. We went to the St. James store where I purchased another blue wool sweater. Every year when I come to France I purchase another blue sweater or t-shirt. I have piles of them at home taking up a full shelf. We then joined the crowd and had a cappuccino. In the evening we went out to a Moroccan restaurant for dinner.
Love,
Brian
23 rue Jean d’Arc
