Meeting my Zoom PenPal in Champagne

I first met Tatiana on Zoom while taking an online French class at the Sorbonne University in Paris. Like many other places, because of the pandemic, the department at the Sorbonne which offers French as a foreign language began offering classes virtually. This was perfect for people like me and also Tatiana who’ve always wanted to take classes at the Sorbonne, but could not attend in person because we live outside of Paris.

Tatiana who’s originally from Brazil now lives in Reims with her French husband and their two daughters. After I had booked my trip to Paris, I mentioned to Tatianna that I planned to be in Reims for a day trip to the Champagne region. We met up at the Notre Dame Cathedral and then walked to the Café du Palais for lunch. It was a perfectly splendid afternoon. Tatianna was the nicest person and it was a joy to spend time with her, in Champagne of all places!

At Café du Palais in Reims

Not to be missed when in Reims is the magnificent cathedral. Notre Dame de Reims is one of the most famous cathedrals in France because of its historical significance, architecturally and politically. It was where Clovis (king of the Francs from 481-511) was baptized, and was the site of the coronations for many Kings of France thereafter. The cathedral is also a masterpiece of Gothic architecture and reportedly is the world’s only religious edifice that contains the largest number of statues.