GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN: Green Bay Packers, a long trip

Brian and I were supposed to leave Quebec City on an Air Canada flight to Green Bay, Wisconsin at 11h a.m. and arrive to destination at 1h pm with a return flight from Green Bay on Tuesday noon time. What a nice long weekend trip, no stress, not tiresome, just enjoyable.

So, at 10h am on that nice October morning, a taxi drives us to the airport. As seasoned traveller we don’t need to show up too far ahead of time. When we arrived at the counter to pick up our boarding passes, SURPRISE… our flight left Quebec at 9h30… we received the notification of change of schedule but completely forgot to write it down. Bye Bye, to our nice little week-end at Green Bay.

The adventure should NORMALLY have ended with: "disappointed they went back to their condo, settled down on the terrace and felt sorry for themselves and for the nice week-end that went down the drain". Except that with my husband, things are hardly ever plain and simple.




Thus, we are at the counter for an hour and a half while Brian, with the help of a ticket agent, tries to find a flight that will get us to Green Bay… a flight leaves Montreal at 4h pm. The problem is, there are no flights available from Quebec City to Montreal. Nonetheless, another taxi takes us home so we get in our car and here we are on our way to Montreal.

Our schedule: Montreal-Washington where we will change planes for Washington-Chicago: arrival at Chicago: 1h a.m. That leaves us with another three hour drive from Chicago to Green Bay. After renting a car at O’Hare, we head to Green Bay. We finally open the door of our hotel room at 4h a.m. I didn’t bother removing my make-up that night.

You are most likely thinking: those Canadians are nuts. We have two excuses: the first is called FRIENDSHIP. A friendship that immediately sprang up during our first meeting with a soft hearted giant and a discreet, graceful and adorable fairy: John and Loretta, our neighbours in the friendliest community of Lely Resort, Olé. The second excuse: an invitation to attend a football game with the famed GREEN BAY PACKERS, in mythical "Lambeau Field" which holds up to 72,928 spectators. When we attended the game against the DETROIT LYONS the stadium wall full, as always in this town of only 120,000 residents. We were also invited to the tailgate party… full treatment.




John is not your standard football enthusiast, his football career began in the sixties, while studying at Notre-Dame University in South Bend Indiana, where he played linebacker with the iconic fighting Irish. Afterwards, he played professionally for the HOUSTON OILERS and later became a coach for NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, DETROIT LYONS and finally until 1985 a line backer coach under the legendary Bart Star, head coach of the GREEN BAY PACKERS.

I will never forget the dinner we had in the superb home of John and Loretta, along the Fox River, dinner at Union Hotel in De Pere and also the lunch at Fish Creek in the old White Gull Inn.

But the most memorable part of the trip was the sharing of a few moments with two people that are among the very best friends.

Union Hotel and Restaurant
200 North Broadway, De Pere, Wi
930-336-6131

The White Gull Inn
4225 Main Street, Fish Street, Door County
1-888-364-9542