Reims

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Today was our designated Champagne day so off we went on the train to Reims. Besides being one of the champagne capitals of the world, Reims is also home to Cathedral de Notre-Dame. Twenty-six monarchs were crowned in this cathedral and when you see it, you know why. It is absolutely huge and one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture. The Cathedral was heavily damaged in WWI and was later repaired. Marc Chagall designed some of the replaced stain glass windows, which were reproduced in the 13th century fashion.

We then had a champagne lunch before heading back to Paris. Upon our return, we toured Notre Dame, which is very similar to the one in Reims but smaller. Kathy had accepted yet another challenge from Robert and was going to climb the hundreds of steps up Notre Dame to look closely at the gargoyles and have a wonderful view of Paris. Sadly, the line closed right as we walked up so this will have to wait for the next trip.

Finally, we went for a walk in Luxembourg Gardens, located in the middle of the city. Lots of joggers, bikers, runners, walkers. We had a wonderful Italian meal and out we went to disco.

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