I have been very excited for today - drinking Champagne in the Champagne region and seeing Nick and Jason!
We started our day with take-out from Paul - a trio of beignets for both of us and a small croissant.
Our high-speed train to Reims left from a Metro stop that we had not used - on a subway line we had not rode. However, the subway system in Paris is incredible - so timely and so exact. We've never waited more than 5 minutes for a train, usually more like 2 minutes. The transfer to the TVG train was very easy and such a pleasant experience. The train line number was assigned to our route about 20 minutes before departure. The first class cabin of the train was not very crowded, the seats were quite comfortable, electric outlets for each seat and we were seated looking forward. We were disappointed that the trip was only 45 minutes.
The precision of the French rail system continues to amaze us - the train left on-time at exactly 10:28 AM. The entire trip, there was a monitor that showed our progress as well as the speed. The top speed that I noticed was 308 km/hour...so about 191 miles/hour. The tracks were so smooth, we would never have expected that we were traveling close to 200 miles/hour.
When we arrived, we quickly caught up with Nick and Jason at the train station. For those who don't know Nick and Jason - they are good friends who used to live in Minneapolis, but moved to Luxembourg about two years ago. I'm often envious when reading their Facebook posts as they travel throughout Europe seemingly every other weekend. Their drive to Reims was about two hours, so I am extremely grateful for them driving over since a visit to their home in Luxembourg would not work out between our schedules later during my trip.
We started walking from the train station towards the city center. There is an incredible Cathedral in the town center that was built in the 13th Century and the original stained glass is still in the structure. Every French king was crowned in the Cathedral. It was heavily bombed during WWI and extensive reconstruction was required...interesting though, many of the original windows were removed and hidden when the bombing started, so they were preserved.
The spot where the first King of France was crowned:
Seeing pictures of war damage and hearing of war time damage both in Paris and in Reims started me thinking about all that is lost during war. I understand that war is often needed, but in the process some amazing historical buildings are destroyed. Structures that have stood for hundreds of years and served as important venues are gone sometimes in just a few minutes or hours. This understanding will certainly give me a new perspective when I see video and pictures of war-torn countries. Much is often lost to gain freedom and independence.
From the Cathedral we walked across the town square and sat outside for lunch - along with our first glass of Champagne for the day. Bridget and I shared fried gouda sticks (an interesting and delicious change from mozzarella sticks) and a chicken Caesar salad. I love the Caesar salads in Europe - they use butter and bib lettuce and not romaine. My least favorite part of Caesar salads is the white spines of romaine lettuce.
Following lunch, it was time to move on to our first Champagne house. Very few houses were open on Sunday, so our choices were rather limited. We all had done research and found about 3 places nearby that were open. First stop - Taittinger. I had seen this label in the US, but never tried it. We walked in and an English tour was starting in less than 2 minutes - perfect timing! You had an option of the tour with one, two or three glasses of Champagne - with prices adjusted accordingly. Of course I selected the 3 glass option! The third glass was their highest end Grand Cru Champagne. Our guide was from the UK and had only worked at the Champagne house for about 5 months, but he was quite good. The house and property had incredible history dating back to the 1500's. The underground caves on the property housed about 22 MILLION bottles of Champagne. The highest end bottles were turned by hand when in the riddling racks. He said that they most experienced cellar workers could turn 8,000 bottles per hour. The entry and mid-tier Champagnes did not get the "white-glove" hand turning - technology was used.
After the tour, we all returned to the tasting room - everyone on the tour (about 25 folks) had the first glass of Brut reserve - a very nice-sized pour. Not the typical "taste" that you get in California. About 8 folks had a second glass option - there was a choice between 4 different Champagnes. I had the 2006 Vintage with 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir grapes; Nick opted for a sweeter demi-sec and Bridget had the same blend as mine, but the NV (non-vintage) version called Prelude. Only three people from the tour had the third glass - me and a couple from Australia. It was incredible! So smooth, so well blended. It was 100% chardonnay grapes, with about 10% of the grapes fermented in French oak barrels and used for topping the bottles after the yeast is removed. Unfortunately a bottle was 120 euros and I don't have much space in my suitcase, so passed on purchasing.
The top end Champange that was favorite of the day:
Enjoying my last glass at Taittinger with Jason (L) and Nick (R):
From Taittinger, we headed to Martel. We walked in and found out you had to have an appointment. There were no more English tours for the day and you had to take a tour to taste the Champagne.
Onwards to the last option - Champagne Vranken-Pommery. This complex looked like a castle and reminded me of the tourist trap that we would normally avoid in Napa. No more English tours available, but we could taste. We had to get a ticket to enter a turn-stall. Then we had to show that ticket to be able to pay for a tasting - but it wasn't really a tasting - we each just bought a glass of Champagne. The attendants seemed annoyed to explain the differences between any of the options. Nick and Bridget both got the "Dry Elixer"...the attendant said, oh my, no one has ordered that since I've worked here. It seemed like a big deal and she didn't know what to do. After they paid, she literately had to take a break and left the counter. Jason and I then both ordered something different. We all had to pay, then were sent to yet another bar to actually have our Champagne poured. The third bar was very strange - all blue, florescent lighting and white concrete on every surface - floors, walls, ceiling, bar, etc. Everything echoed and the blue bulbs cast the most unpleasant lighting. We sat at a small table, enjoyed the Champagne, tolerated the lighting and relished the company.
No special camera filters - this is exacatly what the lighting was like:
It was nearing 5:30 by the time we left Pommery and Nick and Jason needed to start their trip back to Luxembourg. We left Bridget on a sidewalk bench since we had walked so far - we would return with the car for a pick-up and easy drop-off at the train station. The walk was quite far - a solid 45 minutes - but nice time to chat more with Nick and Jason. We said our good-byes and discussed the potential of Jason joining me later in Europe, perhaps in Krakow, Poland. Bridget and I waited in the bar of the train station for about 1.5 hours, both absorbed in our respective iPads - me journaling and Bridget editing pictures.
The train ride back was as efficient and precise as the departure had been. We had discussed going back to the first night Steak Frites place to end our time in Paris. When we arrived at 9:45, the line was longer than we had waited on Wednesday, so we voted for plan B. Based on menu options, we ended up at plan E. Wonderful Italian cuisine enjoyed outside to end our time in Paris. My dish - Veal Piccata al Limone - was delicious. As we left, we talked with the maitre d' and learned that everyone who works there is from Sicily..."they not from Sicily, they not work here". We had many laughs with him - about our pronunciation of Italian cities and his numerous jokes. A wonderful, delightful interaction with a transplanted local on our last night.
Back at the hotel, we both completed our last bit of packing. I then texted Chris and it was a good time for FaceTime - he and his mom were at Dave and Nan's for a picnic, so I was able to say hello "face-to-face" with all of them. It was great to see them and talk live - it was my first FaceTime connection of the trip.
Off to sleep with a smile on my face - a great end to 5 magical days in Paris. Off to Bordeaux on Monday morning.
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