1 August ’05, Monday.
August 1st, it is hard to believe…the 1st of August…where the heck has it all gone, …the SUMMER…it’s true, we have had a few really hot days, and a couple of really nice days, but it’s also true, we have had a lot of “Seattle weather”…clouds and rain…we’ve even had a lot of thunderstorms to help us remember it’s SUMMER… Ok, it really got to me today. Between the weather and the “Service” that you get at the stores and restaurants, I finally hit the bottom, or should I say, I finally blew my top off… Sorry Lou for you having to put up with my “downer day”. I’m sure France is a great country, and I know that it has a lot to offer, but there are areas that we as tourists just have to put up with. We can sit at a restaurant table waiting for someone to recognize that we have come in, or even that we might want a menu…now when we have ordered and been served, we might even want something additional…or maybe the bill…or…I won’t even get into the rest of this, but France is France (so they tell me). Ok, what did we do yesterday? We took a ride. Fact is we drove to Reims, which is about a 30 minute drive from Epernay. Our drive took us over the mountain and then dropped down into the valley in which Reims sits. The books tell us that for the tourists, Reims doesn’t have a lot to keep a tourist doing what a tourist does. It does have a number of wineries, but Epernay has the better to chose from, and it does have a beautiful cathedral. “Our Lady of Rheims” is one of the most beautiful gothic structures of the 13th century. It was destroyed twice, and rebuilt the last time in the 15th century. This is also the cathedral were all the kings since King St Louis 1226, have had their coronation. In 1429, the Coronation of King Charles VII had a special guest, Joan of Arc. In 1996, Pope John Paul II visited and held the service celebrating the 1500th anniversary of the baptism of King Clovis by Archbishop St Remi.
Back in “Bumble Bee”, we headed back over the hill. This time, we took to the back roads. They took us through the hills and hills of all the champagne grapes. Vine after vine, grape after grape, and winery after winery, all serving up their own champagne. It was a beautiful drive, and we did enjoy some wonderful sites. We did top it off by stopping by the most incredible villa. I probably don’t have the taste-buds to tell the “finest Champagne” from the OK champagnes, but I will tell you this, if the villas have anything to do with it, we found the cream of the crop. “Chateau de Boursault”…wow… The history behind this “Chateau” is, it was built for a wedding gift, and then passed on to the grand daughter as a gift a little later. It is still privately owned, although, not lived in as it is just too expensive to maintain as a living quarters. Now getting back to the champagne, we bought a bottle…our first, and we will save it for the 20th for our special occasion. By the way, the website for Chateau de Boursault is www.champagnechateaudeboursault.fr
Today was a travel day, so we packed up and headed south. Our destination was Troyes, and we finally pulled in here just after 2. After setting up, we put on our walking boots and headed into town. Now I must admit, Louise asked if I wanted to fix a sandwich before we left, but thinking that we would have lunch somewhere in town, I passed…big mistake !!! I wont go into that all over again, and I’ll fill you in on what we saw in town in the next journal…. Tomorrow…Troyes and more…
August 1st, it is hard to believe…the 1st of August…where the heck has it all gone, …the SUMMER…it’s true, we have had a few really hot days, and a couple of really nice days, but it’s also true, we have had a lot of “Seattle weather”…clouds and rain…we’ve even had a lot of thunderstorms to help us remember it’s SUMMER… Ok, it really got to me today. Between the weather and the “Service” that you get at the stores and restaurants, I finally hit the bottom, or should I say, I finally blew my top off… Sorry Lou for you having to put up with my “downer day”. I’m sure France is a great country, and I know that it has a lot to offer, but there are areas that we as tourists just have to put up with. We can sit at a restaurant table waiting for someone to recognize that we have come in, or even that we might want a menu…now when we have ordered and been served, we might even want something additional…or maybe the bill…or…I won’t even get into the rest of this, but France is France (so they tell me). Ok, what did we do yesterday? We took a ride. Fact is we drove to Reims, which is about a 30 minute drive from Epernay. Our drive took us over the mountain and then dropped down into the valley in which Reims sits. The books tell us that for the tourists, Reims doesn’t have a lot to keep a tourist doing what a tourist does. It does have a number of wineries, but Epernay has the better to chose from, and it does have a beautiful cathedral. “Our Lady of Rheims” is one of the most beautiful gothic structures of the 13th century. It was destroyed twice, and rebuilt the last time in the 15th century. This is also the cathedral were all the kings since King St Louis 1226, have had their coronation. In 1429, the Coronation of King Charles VII had a special guest, Joan of Arc. In 1996, Pope John Paul II visited and held the service celebrating the 1500th anniversary of the baptism of King Clovis by Archbishop St Remi.
Back in “Bumble Bee”, we headed back over the hill. This time, we took to the back roads. They took us through the hills and hills of all the champagne grapes. Vine after vine, grape after grape, and winery after winery, all serving up their own champagne. It was a beautiful drive, and we did enjoy some wonderful sites. We did top it off by stopping by the most incredible villa. I probably don’t have the taste-buds to tell the “finest Champagne” from the OK champagnes, but I will tell you this, if the villas have anything to do with it, we found the cream of the crop. “Chateau de Boursault”…wow… The history behind this “Chateau” is, it was built for a wedding gift, and then passed on to the grand daughter as a gift a little later. It is still privately owned, although, not lived in as it is just too expensive to maintain as a living quarters. Now getting back to the champagne, we bought a bottle…our first, and we will save it for the 20th for our special occasion. By the way, the website for Chateau de Boursault is www.champagnechateaudeboursault.fr
Today was a travel day, so we packed up and headed south. Our destination was Troyes, and we finally pulled in here just after 2. After setting up, we put on our walking boots and headed into town. Now I must admit, Louise asked if I wanted to fix a sandwich before we left, but thinking that we would have lunch somewhere in town, I passed…big mistake !!! I wont go into that all over again, and I’ll fill you in on what we saw in town in the next journal…. Tomorrow…Troyes and more…