Reims – pronounced ‘Raance’ – is about two thirds of the way between Marseille and Calais, and is also at the heart of the Champagne region, so it seemed a good place to stop off on my way back this time.
After the stunning November in Corsica, it was a bit of a shock to arrive in the cold and the rain, so as I decided to visit one of the Champagne houses.
If I’d been going on taste alone I would have opted for Veuve Cliquot, but my interest was actually more about the architecture of the caves (wine cellars) so chose Taittinger.
Taittinger is also an excellent brand, and one of the few houses still operated by the family of the founder, Pierre-Charles Taittinger. Most interestingly (to me anyway!), the caves are built in chalk pits dating back to the 4th century which later became the foundations of the Saint-Nicaise Basilica.
The cellars in their current form were created in the 13th century by the monks and the gothic influence is clear. Amazingly, there were no restrictions on photos (even with a flash) and the guide was happy to wait while we all snapped away to our hearts content.
These cellars are now home to the most prestigious of the Taittinger champagnes, the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Cuvée. We saw literally hundreds of thousands of bottles of this vintage where they mature for almost 10 years.
After the stunning November in Corsica, it was a bit of a shock to arrive in the cold and the rain, so as I decided to visit one of the Champagne houses.
If I’d been going on taste alone I would have opted for Veuve Cliquot, but my interest was actually more about the architecture of the caves (wine cellars) so chose Taittinger.
Taittinger is also an excellent brand, and one of the few houses still operated by the family of the founder, Pierre-Charles Taittinger. Most interestingly (to me anyway!), the caves are built in chalk pits dating back to the 4th century which later became the foundations of the Saint-Nicaise Basilica.
The cellars in their current form were created in the 13th century by the monks and the gothic influence is clear. Amazingly, there were no restrictions on photos (even with a flash) and the guide was happy to wait while we all snapped away to our hearts content.
These cellars are now home to the most prestigious of the Taittinger champagnes, the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Cuvée. We saw literally hundreds of thousands of bottles of this vintage where they mature for almost 10 years.
Apparently they don't get their proper corks until they are ready for sale so they can continue to remove the sediment during maturing. This is also why some bottles are stored flat and others pointing downwards because it depends on what stage of the process they are at.
Apparently, the unusual shape of these bottles is based on the design originally used by the monks that were hidden away before the revolution. Each bottle is worth hundreds of euros and several of our fellow visitors felt that with such quantities the odd bottle wouldn’t be missed, but luckily their pockets just weren’t large enough!
So, by 5pm the champagne visit was over and in a slightly elated mood, I headed towards the centre of Reims and my hotel for the night. The distance of 1.2km should have taken just a few minutes but helpfully no one had mentioned the fact that Reims is having a tramway built so the roads that are not already closed and dug up, are either one way (and not the way I wanted to go), for buses only or pedestrianised. After nearly two hours, even the GPS lady was metaphorically throwing her hands up in the air and had rightly judged that if she told me to do a U-turn once more, she might be out on her ear in the rain – via the window!
Once I finally managed to get into the parking d’Erlon, I realised that without all the dramas of the road works, the Hotel Bristol is ideal for visiting Reims. It’s right in the centre of a nice pedestrianised square with underground parking virtually right outside. There is also a very chic bistrot type restaurant on site.
After my stressful journey, I’d decided to head up to my room, but once I saw that there was a Christmas market on, I was lured out again by all the sparkling lights and yummy smells. I wandered around admiring all the stalls. I love Christmas markets and have often picked up some bargains in previous years.
I quickly discovered that I was just too worn out to shop properly so I just wandered about being nosy. I came across an 18th century Venetian manège (merry-go-round), a living nativity scene complete with donkeys, an old fashioned hot chestnut stall and even a sign for the Canadian village and ice rink.
I’d chosen the Hotel Bristol for a bit of character and I wasn’t disappointed. The best thing for me was the old fashioned cage lift which gave me pangs of nostalgia from visiting Arding and Hobbs goodness knows how many times as a child. I think we thought of it like a huge amusement park instead of a department store!
The room was simple but nice, so after a decent nights sleep I headed out again. I specifically wanted to see the Cathedral. The Reims Cathedral is almost a replica of Notre Dame in Paris, so I wasn’t as wowed by it as I thought I would be. That said, the exterior is extraordinarily detailed.
I was impressed by the gargoyles and stone work, and inside it was a stunning example of gothic architecture.
One of the things that I really liked about this Cathedral were the ancient stone carvings inside the church. I have never seen anything quite like these before as the carvings were unlike normal statues which stand out from their background and instead they sit back into the rock. Difficult to explain, but beautiful to look at!
It was still quite early and although I was tempted to visit the art exhibition at the Palais du Tau just next door, it wasn’t open – don’t plan to sightsee before 10am in Reims, folks! Like the Cathedral, the Palais du Tau is a UNESCO World Heritage site and previous royal residence which is now home to numerous works of art.
It was quite cold and windy, but I was lucky that it wasn’t raining, so I wandered through the streets looking at the old houses that looked like they could have come straight out of a London street, and the mix of interesting speciality shops and restaurants.
Apparently, the unusual shape of these bottles is based on the design originally used by the monks that were hidden away before the revolution. Each bottle is worth hundreds of euros and several of our fellow visitors felt that with such quantities the odd bottle wouldn’t be missed, but luckily their pockets just weren’t large enough!
So, by 5pm the champagne visit was over and in a slightly elated mood, I headed towards the centre of Reims and my hotel for the night. The distance of 1.2km should have taken just a few minutes but helpfully no one had mentioned the fact that Reims is having a tramway built so the roads that are not already closed and dug up, are either one way (and not the way I wanted to go), for buses only or pedestrianised. After nearly two hours, even the GPS lady was metaphorically throwing her hands up in the air and had rightly judged that if she told me to do a U-turn once more, she might be out on her ear in the rain – via the window!
Once I finally managed to get into the parking d’Erlon, I realised that without all the dramas of the road works, the Hotel Bristol is ideal for visiting Reims. It’s right in the centre of a nice pedestrianised square with underground parking virtually right outside. There is also a very chic bistrot type restaurant on site.
After my stressful journey, I’d decided to head up to my room, but once I saw that there was a Christmas market on, I was lured out again by all the sparkling lights and yummy smells. I wandered around admiring all the stalls. I love Christmas markets and have often picked up some bargains in previous years.
I quickly discovered that I was just too worn out to shop properly so I just wandered about being nosy. I came across an 18th century Venetian manège (merry-go-round), a living nativity scene complete with donkeys, an old fashioned hot chestnut stall and even a sign for the Canadian village and ice rink.
I’d chosen the Hotel Bristol for a bit of character and I wasn’t disappointed. The best thing for me was the old fashioned cage lift which gave me pangs of nostalgia from visiting Arding and Hobbs goodness knows how many times as a child. I think we thought of it like a huge amusement park instead of a department store!
The room was simple but nice, so after a decent nights sleep I headed out again. I specifically wanted to see the Cathedral. The Reims Cathedral is almost a replica of Notre Dame in Paris, so I wasn’t as wowed by it as I thought I would be. That said, the exterior is extraordinarily detailed.
I was impressed by the gargoyles and stone work, and inside it was a stunning example of gothic architecture.
One of the things that I really liked about this Cathedral were the ancient stone carvings inside the church. I have never seen anything quite like these before as the carvings were unlike normal statues which stand out from their background and instead they sit back into the rock. Difficult to explain, but beautiful to look at!
It was still quite early and although I was tempted to visit the art exhibition at the Palais du Tau just next door, it wasn’t open – don’t plan to sightsee before 10am in Reims, folks! Like the Cathedral, the Palais du Tau is a UNESCO World Heritage site and previous royal residence which is now home to numerous works of art.
It was quite cold and windy, but I was lucky that it wasn’t raining, so I wandered through the streets looking at the old houses that looked like they could have come straight out of a London street, and the mix of interesting speciality shops and restaurants.
I was expecting it to take ages to get out of the city after the dramas of getting in, but after just a couple of botched attempts, I was on the autoroute for Calais ahead of schedule so I decided to stop off at Cité Europe. I visited my favourite shop ‘Andiamo’ and then ‘Carrefour’ before discovering the Cite Gourmand which is a whole section I have never visited before!
The Cite Gourmand is where all the restaurants and specialist food shops are located, and has been built to look like an indoor village complete with fountain. To me, it looked for all the world like the film set of Mamma Mia and all that was missing was someone leaping out from behind one of the columns and launching into a dodgy rendition of ‘Voulez Vous’!
The Cite Gourmand is where all the restaurants and specialist food shops are located, and has been built to look like an indoor village complete with fountain. To me, it looked for all the world like the film set of Mamma Mia and all that was missing was someone leaping out from behind one of the columns and launching into a dodgy rendition of ‘Voulez Vous’!
