When dozens of Peterborough residents booked a long weekend to a French territory south of Newfoundland, we had no idea we would land in the midst of a historic moment.

But that’s exactly what happened.

Two weeks ago, the first hint came via an email from the travel agency that runs charters through Peterborough’s airport. If you haven’t booked your restaurant reservations yet, it warned, you’d better act fast.

French President Emmanuel Macron was coming to the island on Friday too, the first president to visit Saint Pierre in a decade. And his entourage was booking up anything available.

“How exciting,” I thought. My husband and I wondered how close we could get to this political celebrity in a town of 5,000 residents.

Then, things got more interesting.

Last week, word spread that Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney would meet Macron on his way to New York to........

© Peterborough Examiner