Champagne Region of France (Reims, Epernay)

Enjoyed a wonderful day in the champagne region of France with my friend, Sarah today!

We took a tour offer through RTT Travel.  I can't say we were very impressed with the "tour" (it was basically just an informational bus ride).  But, the stops in Epernay and Reims where very enjoyable!

The first stop was the Moet &Chandon Cellars in Epernay.  The tour was in English and was fun (especially the taste test at the end!).  We even bought a bottle of champagne to enjoy on the bus...come on, it's a champagne tour after-all!

Being shown a map of where the different grapes are grown.
Over 2,840 acres...all handpicked!

A gift to the families from Napoleon (aparently, he liked the champagne too!)

...just a couple thousand bottles of aging Dom Perignon...

Prost!

We were gifted champagne glasses so that we
could enjoy our purchase on the tour bus!

Don't judge.

Next, we drove to Reims where we were given free time to explore the area (a map would have been handy) and have lunch.  The Cathedral there is a World Heritage Site and is simply amazing (my photos, however, are not)!  Did you know that 25 Kings of France were crowned there?!

Our last stop in Reims was the Museum of Surrender.  It was fairly small but well worth the visit!  The original maps are still on the walls in Eisenhower's control room.....

"This museum marks one of the most significant moments in the history of modern warfare, when the German commanders signed a surrender agreement and effectively gave up their grip on Europe."

It was a very fun day (hello...history and champagne).  I would definitely go back to the region again!

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P.S.  If you are planning a trip to Reims, be sure to make your way to Maison Fossier for a famous rose biscuit!

The Biscuit Rose (pink biscuit) of Reims

It is one of the oldest French biscuits and one of the last genuine "bis-cuits".
The inhabitants of Champagne are fond of dipping it into their glass of champagne (in the past, it was essentially enjoyed by dipping it into a glass of red wine). It has a very distinctive feature in that it doesn?t break, even when moistened!
Why pink? Although they were initially white, the biscuits became pink to hide the tiny black particles extracted from the vanilla pod that speckled their colour.