The Champagne Trail

“Happy Chocolate Day” was written in colorful ink on a board at work that usually is covered with tedious and never-ending timelines. I realized that Valentine’s Day was around the corner. Here I was in Paris, the city of love and romance, where even the city’s official tourism website advertises things to do on ‘La Saint-Valentin’. With my valentine all the way in India, I realized that I had not a clue of what I should expect from Paris during these COVID times. 

So, I decided to date my first love, travel! And so, a few of us decided to ditch Paris for the fields of Champagne. What a decision it turned out to be. We hired a car from OuiCars (an inexpensive car rental service) for the day and decided to drive up from the city of love to the province of ultimate luxury. Much like a new relationship, the excitement of hiring a car and driving in a strange land is both enthralling and empowering! For Indians, driving on the opposite side of the road is almost like a rebellion of teenage love…

• 

• 

A two-hour drive from Paris, we were headed to Épernay, the capital of Champagne. As you enter the region, the landscape transforms with an undulating landscape of vineyards till the horizon. And these field are marked by magnificent chateaus assuring indulgence and exuding luxury. Many are open to the public for a visit, while some are actually hotels. As you drive through these small villages, you will spot La Route Touristique du Champagne. TAKE IT! These slight detours take you up close to the fields through narrow paths before joining back at the highway. In harvest season – this would make a sight to behold. With the car cruising by the landscape, the heady rush you feel at the thought of the destination promising the epitome of celebration is hard to describe. 

While COVID dampened our experience (as expected), for those heading to Champagne during peak season, look out for champagne cellars and tasting that mark the entire landscape of the region. With one house open, we too managed our customary champagne cheers click! Every big house has its own specialty that typically varies depending on the nature of grape blend; take a glass and if you like it, buy the bottle (works out much cheaper). Many veteran travelers will advise that you in fact knock at the doors in the villages and try and get a true Champagne experience at a family-run enterprise.

• 

• 

The beauty of travelling through what may seem like ghost French towns right now is the opportunity it provides to see things that may not be on your travel itinerary in the peak season. One such place is the Town Hall of Epernay that may fall in the shadows of the Moet & Chandon House that sits right across it on Avenue du Champagne (surprise!). A beautiful French style building, it adorns a pond and garden with much panache. In fact, it was the one place where we saw locals sitting in the sun on what was a very cold and windy winter afternoon. Some had helped themselves to the books available at a kiosk in the garden. 

• 

• 

And so, our first date was as romantic as it can get – with vineyards, Champagne, the countryside and also a hamburger from a food truck in the parking lot. As we were pulling out our car from the parking next to the Épernay hot air balloon (which is currently tied to the ground – much like most of tourism), we suddenly decided to give our relationship that day a new turn and hit Reims before treading back to Paris!

• 

• 

With the hangover of the beauty of the Chartres Cathedral (see previous post), we could not resist the temptation of visiting Reims Cathedral, a thirty-minute drive from Épernay. A splendid example of High Gothic architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was traditionally the place of coronation of kings. As we stepped in and admired the stained glass, including the works of Marc Chagall, I could not help feel a tinge of disappointment for not being able to visit the adjoining Palace of Tau, which houses historical artefacts from the region along with the treasures of the Cathedral (It is shut due to COVID restrictions). 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

As we walked through the city of Reims, with the wind making the -3 degrees almost unbearable, we crossed the Town Hall, La Porte de Mars and of course, Champagne houses – each being a work of art that you can appreciate from the outside. As we were heading back, just when I thought that nothing today was “Valentine-y” in these two places, we turned a corner into a small coffee shop that was pink, purple and red. In the backdrop of the yellow stone that is staple of French towns, this colorful café stuck out like a butterfly in a field. And so, we gave in and stepped in to order coffee in a café full of hearts and decorations – the most “commercial” celebration we partook in!

• 

• 

• 

• 

Whether it was the innocent love at first site driving past the fields, the temptation of champagne in Épernay, the energy of the Reims Cathedral or the coffee in a young café celebrating the notions of modern love – it was all intoxicating. Literally and spiritually, a journey through Champagne will make you fall in love with the beauty that is France…a valentine for a lifetime!