Premiere Classe Chalons-en-Champagne Saint-Martin-sur-le-Pre

We worked our way all the way up to Reims, the heart of the Champagne region. While Reims does have a pretty cool cathedral and I'm sure there is some historic stuff, we came for the champagne. We followed the Rue de Champagne down through all the little towns and Epernay. Then as was our luck, the Salon de Vins festival was taking place, so over 250 vintners from all over France were there to let us taste (and buy) their best. Some ...

... Reims was also the site for the beginning of the end of another war. Though it wasn’t announced until the next day, the Germans unconditionally surrendered to American, British, French, and Soviet forces at a schoolhouse near the train station on May 7, 1945. We saw the map room, completely preserved, where the signing of the Armistice took place, and to this day, the small museum remains adjacent to one of Reims’ schools.

The most memorable ...

... to some very nice gentlemen.

The next morning we actually woke up on time and although we were a little sluggish we really weren't that late to the train station. Finding the ticket booth was an entirely different story though. By the time we found the right ticket counter and waited in line we had 10 minutes to board the train we wanted to get on. Needless to say we opted for a later train. We bought a little pricer ticket in order to get to Reims around ...

... considered the champagne capital of France and lies in Champagne-Ardenne region (the official name) in northeastern France some 129km northeast of Paris. The architecture of the city is very Gothic in some parts and modern in others. Unfortunately the city is full of road works as they are currently building the new light train in the city. It is only due to be finished in April 2010, so if you are planning a visit I would make sure it ...

... around in the vicinity for at least another 20 minutes.

When we got to the rental office we were helped by a young man with excellent English. After some more time we loaded up our shiny new Ford Focus and drove out of Paris. Driving out of Paris is easier said than done, however. It really is a big and busy city. It took over an hour to get out. Even though it was midday by now, the ...

-We drove through Reims on the way back to Maastricht and stopped at the Pommery estate for a tour of its cellars. It felt like we were spelunking in the underground cellars, which are more similar to mining caves, housing over 20 million bottles of champagne. It was even complete with riddling racks, though they don't use that technique anymore. After the tour, we had a tasting, which ended in purchasing four bottles that complete with the Pommery logo straws... weird french people.

I think I might have paid on average 4-7 euros a glass of champagne. This was nothing compared to the 14 euros for a tour of the all fabulous and luxurious Moet cellars.

Kept at a temperature of between 10 and 12°C, champagne goes through a long process before being put on the shelves at your local supermarket.

It was really interesting to see the ...

We decided to stay at a "bed and breakfast" in a small village near Reims. This guy owned about 3 buildings connected to one another. We had plenty of space to ourselves, a patio, a kitchen, and a pool. There were other guests, but never heard them! The man grew the grapes and was in partnership with a champagne producer (i think a family business).

We had fun, took in the lovely ...

... before making my decision. Bakeries contain an equal amount of variety. I sometimes feel perplexed as I am in a Starbucks with having to make several decisions just to have a single final product. Grande. Low Fat. Chai latte. Extra chai flavoring. No sugar.

Aside from these three iconic products, France is also known for its bubbly (slang for champagne).

Between two cars, the 8 of us ventured to champagne ...

... duration and this was the opportunity for the conversation to start. I comment that 'It looks like he has had one too many' and the conversation started from there. As soon as they found out that we were from NZ, they waxed lyrical about their visit last year and how beautiful it was... Mid conversation James' grumpiness started to raise its ugly head and the conversation became quite difficult. The second group was a couple in their 50s or 60s from the UK ...