Paris was delightful, as always. Lots of fun, lots of people and a museum or two, plus some delicious meals. However it was time to move on.

We booked a ride from Paris to Reims to avoid any possibility of a rail strike affecting our plans. We used Daytrip for the ride as they did a splendid job for us in Italy last year. The driver arrived right on time to pick us up at our hotel and off we went.

The journey took about 1hr 45 min and was comfortable, with pleasant scenery. When we arrived in Reims, he dropped us off right at the Hertz office, which made things easy.

We had to wait a few minutes as they were closed for lunch, but once they returned, the paperwork was quick to complete. We ended up with a mid-sized Citroën that was really nice – great deep blue color too.

Driving from Reims to Épernay was fairly quick and easy. The only thing you need to get used to are the roundabouts. They keep the traffic flowing, but can be a pain if you’re not sure of your exit. Once we arrived in Épernay, the real fun started – parking the car. It took several trips around the block to find a space and then a tense few minutes to parallel park, thanks to the traffic.

We stayed at the Hotel Jean Möet, which was both nice and convenient. The rooms were comfortable and very clean, with a nice big walk-in shower.

Once we were checked in and situated, we took a walk down the Avenue of Champagnes.

We passed by some of the more familiar big champagne houses – Moët et Chandon and Perrier-Jouët and then stopped at Domaine Collard-Picard. Most have tours available, but we just opted to enjoy our own tasting with a glass or two as we stopped and soaked in the ambience.

The staff at Domaine Collard-Picard were very friendly and explained what we were drinking. The Brut Rosé was mouthwatering and refreshing. They have a nice courtyard area where you can relax with your champagne.

We stopped at a Cafe to grab a little something to eat. Sue and I thought we’d share a charcuterie board, but it turned out to be gigantic. Much bigger than we expected, as it was supposed to be a snack. Jan and Dave both had pasta dishes, as they weren’t planning on going out for dinner later.

Dinner was at a local restaurant called Le P’tit Champenois. The restaurant wasn’t fancy, but they were quite busy and the food was good. We enjoyed our meal and then took a slow walk back to the hotel.

The next morning, Wednesday, we took a ride to visit the Abbey and tomb of Dom Perignon in Hautvillers. It was just a 5.5 km drive from our hotel. Driving over, we were provided with a beautiful view across the vineyards. When we arrived, our first stop was a visit to the Abbasant Church of Saint Sindulphe of Hautvillers. It was a simple church, not too large and inside was the tomb of Dom Perignon – the friar who discovered champagne.

Conveniently located right across from the Abbey was the Caveau Champagne JM Gobillard et Fils. How better to pay our respects to the discoverer of champagne than by toasting to him. I’m sure he’d appreciate it!

It was a nice tasting room and started our afternoon off right. Their champagne is very good and reasonably priced. We all enjoyed it.

Next, we made a short drive to the town of Monthelon for a tasting at Domaine Julien Chopin. Along the way, the scenery was beautiful.

The day was beautiful and we had our tasting, which included a meat and cheese board in their courtyard. They are a small family run domaine and their champagnes were delicious. That always spells trouble as case number one was ordered for shipping home.

We had a chance to see a little bit of the town as we walked back to the car park.

We returned back to the hotel and once again had to anguish over parking. This time, as I was getting my parking permit from the machine, Parking Enforcement Staff (they travel in a pack of three) came down the street and were going to ticket us. A little bit of charm helped avoid the ticket and the woman even helped me to get a parking permit from the machine. That was a close call.

A last minute reservation glitch forced a change to our dinner plans. Our new place was the Brasserie de la Banque and probably was the better choice for us anyway. The building was formerly a bank and the interior was beautifully redesigned. The meals were all superb as was the wine, and the prices were very reasonable.

It was a great way to finish up our brief stay in Épernay. Tomorrow, we leave for Chablis.