Reims

We had a fun day yesterday. It wasn't perfect though. Every bus trip I've ever been on, there has always been that one group that everyone hates. They are always late or obnoxious or they complain about everything. Occasionally you get a group who is all three and that was our luck yesterday. Anyway, we still had fun in spite of them.

The town of Reims is lovely. It has a population of about 200,000 and is home to the Notre-Dame de Reims cathedral. Before the revolution, French kings had their coronation in this cathedral.

We had some time to wander and grab lunch. We came upon this very cool water fountain.

It was very interesting to learn how champagne is made. I always knew that true champagne had to come from the Champagne region and everything else is simply sparkling wine. I did not know that they use three types of grapes to make it; Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Here is what we came home with.

I find the French appellation laws fascinating. A particular type of wine can only be made in a certain region with a specific grape. These grapes are also further classified based on the soil type, exposure to the sun and how sheltered they are from the wind. The rules are very specific and detailed. The same goes for cheese as well, yet something as important as driving seems to have no rules or regulations at all. Driving in Paris fluctuates between chaotic and anarchic, but they don't mess around with their wine and cheese.

db