Blogs from Champagne-Ardenne, France, Europe - page 2

We decided on waking that Troyes was perhaps not the best place to visit on a Saturday so after a study of the map found the nearest next place of interest is Chaumont. At 80km it was not exactly near by. The area round the campsite is all forests and of course lake so though ideal fo walking and cycling not for us. We stopped at a village Bar-sur-Aube half way along when we found there was a market. Had a wander round and bought some fresh veg in the indoor market hall. Discovered later that the green beans were not as fine as they looked and will give those a miss next time but the strawberries were superb. Nothing we fancied buying from the market so we returned to Smart Arse and continued on the ... read more

It is a little strange being back in Europe and blogging my travels, but whilst covid remains a risk the reality is that some destinations are still not yet feasible for travel. This morning we caught Le Shuttle from Folkestone so perhaps this entry should have been titled "under the channel". But at least we have made it to France without any problems a pleasant change from the past couple of weeks after I tested positive to Covid just after the Queen’s Jubilee long weekend. We decided to isolate instead of visiting friends in the south of England and it has worked out well, spending a few days on the south coast seeing places neither of us really knew and discovering that HG Wells had lived in Folkestone. Remarkably J never tested positive so perhaps she ... read more

Heute habe ich eine 4-wöchige Urlaubsreise nach Frankreich, Spanien und Portugal begonnen. Die selbe Strecke bin ich vor 30 Jahren mit einer Jugendgruppe als meinen ersten großen Urlaub ohne Eltern entlang gereist. Nachdem ich also bei meiner Mutter frühstückte, fuhr ich auf der A6 bis etwa kurz vor Mannheim. Da diese im weiteren Verlauf bei Kaiserslautern gerade gesperrt war, nahm ich die Alternativroute über die A8 und den Raum Pirmasens. An der Grenze wurde ich nicht kontrolliert und die verbleibende Strecke in Frankreich war durch das Tempolimit und den geringen Verkehr sehr gemächlich. In Reims fand das Navi mein Hotel problemlos und ich konnte auch in der Nähe parken. Nachdem ich mein Zimmer bezogen hatte, spazierte ich durch die Innenstadt, deren Attraktion natürlich die Kathedrale ist. Diese habe ich ja schon 2000 bei einer Übernachtung in ... read more

I always try to keep my every day wine and sparkling budget under $20. Since I enjoy my sparkling wines, this always "limits" my choices to a sparkling wine other than champagne. But it does not mean that I must sacrifice taste and enjoyment when I drink other sparklings. Plus, why open a bottle of $60 to $100 bottle of champagne when I can only drink about half of it each evening? Most of you know I am partial to both sparkling wines, called cremants, from Loire, and our own California sparkling wines. In most cases, the cremants are in the $9 to$14 range, and the California sparklings are in the $30 to $40 range. If I spread the cost over two evenings, my investment is minimal. One big change has occurred in Italy, where Prosecco ... read more

How many of your shop at Trader Joe's for your wine and spirits? Generally, they have some interesting and well priced deals. Their wide selection allows me to try some new varietals from places I might not otherwise try. Next time you are there, just go to a different country, like Argentina, Spain or Italy, and pick a varietal that you have never heard of. Oh, and make sure the price is around $10 or less. You will thank me. The local wine expert has a column on Wednesday, and always touts his bargains, or "steals" as he calls them. And the place he touts is none other than Grocery Outlet, rapidly becoming the place to go for bargain wines across a wide spectrum. Of the 18,000+ growers in Champagne, only 4000+ own their vineyards 100% ... read more