During our French trip,after my daughter and wife left, my son and I went to visit a friend I made back when the Twin Cities hosted the international Special Olympics in 1991. Patrick was the soccer coach of the Gold-medal winning French side. His wife Martine, and daughter Estelle were in the Twin Cities as well. We hit it off and over the years had exchanged cards and letters. He had given me a standing invitation to come visit his house in Ancerville, in Lorraine and near La Meuse. Patrick, Martine and their apricot poodle share a NICE house with beutiful gardens. Thanks to Patrick taking time off from his job of coaching mentally handicapped adults, Ian I got to see a lot of North East France: his little village near St.Diziers, Verdun, Sedan
, a side trip to Belgium, and Nancy.
In the midst of all of the sport and culture,the trip to Verdun was a very sobering place-a reminder that sport is just that-games. When you see graveyards 
with tens of thousands of white crosses and wooded areas that prior to WWI were villages that got wiped off the planet because of the war, it is a place that causes a lot of self reflection-Particularly since I am a vet and I have a 20 year old son.
Patrick Played soccer professionally for Sedan
, and he was able to get me and Ian to watch Sedan practice one day.
I have already written about the fantastic meal that Patrick’s mother in law, “Mami” made for us at her home in Sedan.
Our stay in the Ardennes was very memorable. At the Museum of the battle of Verdun, I was able to get a book on a subject that interested me a great deal, but had never been able to FIND a book, on the subject of Colonial troops from Africa who fought and died for France during the First World War.
Not all is about war and meloncholy in the Champagne-Ardennes area. There are the Champagne caves in Epernay. We found a great beer shop in Belgium. The scenary is beautiful, with rolling hills and there were pretty fall colours during our stay. The people are very friendly-almost midwestern in their level of courtesy…even when driving, it was not as cut-throat as driving in Paris, Marseille or Montpellier.
The charm in going to the Champagne-Ardennes region, is that it IS a bit more laid-back. It’s a very agricultural region, so the quality and freshness of the food was fantastic. Add to that the history, natural beauty and the people, it is a region that more of my compatriots should go visit.
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