Left Paris this morning heading to the Champagne region. passed through some lovely French villages and of course by many vineyards.
Made our way to the town of Épernay, and eventually down Champagne Boulevard, lined with its many Champagne wineries .
We stopped at Champagne Mercier.
The founder of which was instrumental in bringing Champagne to the world’s Fair. The huge barrel, which contained 200,000 bottles of champagne, was brought form the region pulled by 12 oxen. The wine was a big hit, second only to another little attraction, The Eiffel Tower.
Took the elevator down 30 meters to 18 kilometers of underground tunnels that comprise their wine cellar. These cellars were carved out of limestone hundreds of years ago. Once there, we boarded a tram which took us through. Here we viewed the storage of the champagne, and listened to an exploration of how it is made. Also got to view the amazing sculptures that line many of the area.
Following the tour, the best part, a tasting! Yummy, of course needed to buy two bottles for home, as this type is not easily found in the U.S.
On the road again for the ride to Dijon. Stopped for a quick bite, and break before heading to this charming city.
Arrived in time for a quick check in, then off for a tour of Dijon . Dijon is a small city that is about 2000 years old!
Of course there are no remaining places from that time, but sometimes the old material was used to rebuild other structures that are “newer”. Saw many buildings that were anywhere from 6-8 hundred years old! Including the old houses with baked tile roofing that is 3 -4 hundred years old.
Saw a beautiful church with gargoyles that had been restored, beautiful squares with lovely cafes, hidden courtyards ( the original owners built the outside of their house plainer, then opened up the courtyard to an elaborate area ), and many nice shops.
Following the tour, we decide to continue on to check out another church. Beautiful! Since it was that time of the day, stopped in for some Pinot ( the red wine predominant to this region ). Dijon houses many types of schools, and the students were out and about enjoying the start of their Saturday evening .
Wondered around some more of these beautiful streets , stopping to do a little shopping, but unfortunately the shops close at 7, so not much time to do any damage! Found a lovely restaurant shortly after 8, where we enjoyed a lovely dinner, but it was just getting busy when we left at 9:15! Made it back to the hotel. Crashing by 10, as it has been a long day.
Tomorrow brings an early start, and on to Beaune, wine tasting tour, and on to Lyon.