Blogs from Epernay, Champagne-Ardenne, France, Europe - page 4

After a rocky start I awoke the following day refreshed and ready to begin our time in Champagne. Mum on the other hand, had a bad headache and could think of nothing but staying in bed. So I left her to rest and took myself to our Moet Chandon appointment which meant bubbles at 11am! The days that would follow still did not reveal to me just who did begin the champagne facination but I did learn the Moet was and still is the royal supplier to the Queen. Established by Épernay wine trader Claude Moët in 1743,he began shipping his wine from Champagne to Paris. The reign of King Louis XV coincided with increased demand for sparkling wine. Soon after its foundation, and after son Claude-Louis joined Moët et Cie, the winery's clientele included nobles ... read more

Today is Thursday, although I must confess I need to ask what day it is to remember. We walked across the street from our hotel this morning to Pomme De Pain for cafe and croissants. Back to the hotel to pack. I didn't sleep well last night as I kept wondering how we were going to move our heavy suitcases from Paris to Epernay and back again via the train. Eventually I had my epiphany and realized we should take a taxi from the Renaissance Arc De Triomphe to the Renaissance Vendome and store our luggage there. Then we could pack one bag to take with us via the Metro and the train to Epernay. So that is what we did. We left 3 bags at the Vendome. Before leavin Paris I wanted to visit Le ... read more

I've just realised how much time I'm spending writing all the little bits of information we pick up on the way so from now on I'll try to be a little bit more brief. Besides, I've got some other things on my mind now. After getting up round 10ish we leisurely gathered our belongings and made our way out of the campsite. We headed through the centre of Bastogne and saw their pride and joy... a tank. We followed the road to Esch-sur-Sure which was a very picturesque town in Luxembourg. We had brunch and then climbed up to the ruined castle above the town. Then we decided we needed to win the lottery and buy a house there. The town has won some accolades as one of the prettiest villages in Europe. Probably rightly deserved ... read more

Champagne. I’m personally not a big fan. A bit too bubbly. But I’m not saying no to an Easter road trip to the Champagne region. Four days touring the French countryside with friends, tasting wine, nice scenery, getting away from the city. A rather pleasant idea. A champagne route essentially means following a more or less established route in the Champagne region, visiting wineries, tasting the champagne, take in the atmosphere, and if the taste appeals - purchase a bottle or two from the local establishment. There are four main routes; the Massif de St-Thierry route, the Montagne de Reims route, the Vallée de la Marne route, and the Côte des Blancs route. We opt for the Vallée de la Marne route, following the valley of the River Marne between the towns of Epernay and Dormans. ... read more

30th August 08 We arrived in Epernay at a quiet little camp ground. It’s nice to not be around 100’s of people like in Disneyland. The camp ground has beach volleyball, soccer pitch, basketball hoops, ping pong and a river which Mason, Blake and I go fishing in. Mum and Dad have bikes now but me and mason still don’t have any. Yesterday me and mason hired bike so we could all bike into town to go to a local market and a bike shop. The market was massive but Dad still wanted to a circuit of it so we left him to do his thing. Finally we met back up at fruit shop and brought our fruit for the week but the best fruit of all was the grapes they were heavenly. Then we left ... read more