Back in 2007 we did a fairly intense tour of France. The last major leg of the trip was a visit to the Champagne region in north-eastern France. From Normandy we drove across the north of France bound for Reims, a city of the Champagne-Ardenne region.
Moët et Chandon marker stone
Grapevine
We stayed at a small champagne house called Ployez-Jacquemart that also offered a bed and breakfast. It is located in Ludes, about a 10-minute drive from Reims. It was a great base for exploring the rest of the region.
The B&B offered very reasonably-priced room rates. The inclusive breakfast included a selection of fresh cheeses, several meats, fruit, yogurt, breads, pastries and cereals. We were also escorted on a private tour of the Ployez-Jacquemart cellars and the production area.
The Champagne House Ployez-Jacquemart
We spent a lot time relaxing on the grounds of Ployez-Jacquemart
Relaxing at Ployez-Jacquemart
Oh, and drinking the lovely champagne produced by the house too.
Ployez-Jacquemart Champagne
We visited the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Reims. Famous for being the cathedral where Kings of France were once crowned. Also popularised by Joan of Arc attending the coronation of King Charles VII of France in 1429.
Joan of Arc statue at Reims Cathedral
Reims Cathedral
Statuettes on the Reims Cathedral exterior
zoomz, my wife, was particularly fascinated with Marc Chagall’s stained glass in the cathedral’s interior.
Marc Chagall's stained glass
We embarked on a number of tours of the more famous Champagne Houses. First stop was Moët et Chandon in Épernay.
Moët et Chandon
Moët et Chandon
I stopped by for a quick snappie with Dom Pérignon, the Benedictine monk who is erroneously credited with the invention of sparkling Champagne.
Dom Pérignon
We also did a tour of the Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin champagne house.
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin
Another interesting place that we visited was the quaint village of Hautvillers. This place had a fantastic view of the Vallee de la Marne, the Marne River and the vast vineyards of the region. It was also home of the Abbey of Hautvillers. Dom Perignon was the cellar master of the Abbey until his death in 1715. He is now buried in the Abbey.
View from Hautvillers
View from Hautvillers
The only downside to the trip was, on our last day in Reims, someone did a ‘hit and run’ on our rental car whilst we were in the supermarket shopping. The police were contacted so that I could fill in an accident report.
It was funny because a small Renault turned up with 5 police officers squashed inside. They all hopped out wearing latex gloves and began to inspect the perimeter of the vehicle. One police officer picked up a piece of broken tail light and began to have a conversation in French (i.e. inaudible to me) with another police officer. The only words I could make out were ‘CSI’ and ‘crime lab’.
I was then asked to ‘come downtown’ where I spent the next 3 hours in the Reims Police Station trying to explain in English to someone who spoke French what had happened. They finally finished writing the report, in French, printed it and asked me to sign it. By this time I was over the whole incident and pining to get back to the champagne house that we were staying in so that I could crack open a bottle of vin, so I signed my life away.
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Nice looking areas. I haven’t been in Europe since I was a kid. I’d love the opportunity to go back sometime in the future.
Real shame about the hit and run, but even more of a shame that the police procedure was such a hassle. I hope you weren’t charged by the rental company? They did have their own insurance cover it right?
It certainly is a beautiful part of the world and I would go back there at the drop of hat.
The hit and run was definitely a dampener but probably good that it happened right at the end of the holiday. It is also good that it happened with no-one in the car.
No charges for the damage ended up coming my way. I did have insurance on the vehicle but was still concerned about being hit up with an excess.
Luckily some customers in the supermarket, where the incident occurred, had taken down the number plate of the offending vehicle so I can only imagine that the ‘hit and runner’ was located and made responsible for the cost of damage.
Justice was served! Glad to hear it.
A lot of fuss over some minor damage, even if you have to foot the bill it shouldn’t cost more than 100 pounds for a new door!