Rudders at Home

No, Alka-Seltzer is plop plop, fizz fizz. I’m talking pop, as in, yep, you guessed it – Champagne!

As you probably know, Paul and I went to France a couple weeks ago. While we enjoyed the great outdoors that was on offer, we also enjoyed a bit of the fizzy stuff the region produces as well.

We visited the Champagne house of Moet & Chandon, in Epernay. The tour took us down below the building, to have a look at their cellars, and they explained the process it all went through. It was quite good. At the end of the tour they do a bit of a tasting. Well, actually, depending on the tour you choose, you get a glass or two of champagne. We decided to do the Grand Vintage tour, which meant we each got two glasses of Grand Vintage Moet at the end. Fabulous. Who could ask for anything better?

Oh, just one thing could be better. As Paul was driving, I actually got to drink nearly four glasses of the stuff! How decadent!

The grounds at Moet & Chandon were extremely pretty. The house in the picture here was across from the main entrance gates above. The day was so beautiful and warm, with an amazing blue sky. It was probably the hottest day we’ve experienced all summer, and we got to enjoy it in France, wandering down the Avenue de Champagne.

Once we had our tour and left Epernay, we took a drive through the vineyards. We saw the Moet & Chandon vineyards, as well as tons and tons of others. I’ve never seen so many grapes! Lines and lines of vines.

The day was pretty good. Wonderful scenery and a lovely drive through the country. Paul had bought new maps for his GPS, so we were able to take a proper meandering drive without having to get too worried about getting lost.

I absolutely loved this region of France. Plenty of things to see and do. Nice, French towns with interesting and lovely people. Outdoorsy stuff and gorgeous weather. I can’t wait to go back.

Just a few more pictures before I say au revoir! The first pictures grapes from the vineyards, obviously. The second is the lovely little hotel we stayed in. We had a really good reception there. And the final picture is just an idyllic farmland shot. French cows!!

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