Cathedrals and Caves

The day started out with croissants and warm bread as we headed off - passing a chateau in Boursault that was right out of Sleeping Beauty - to Epernay and then the land of the iconic Joan of Arc (pronounced "John Dark"): glorious city of Riems ( pronounced a variety of nasal ways not even resembling the spelling. It is somewhere between "ronz" and "rawngsz" muffled by an extreme head cold). The Cathedral is astonishing!!! It is 800 years old and could be the topic of study and reconstruction for easily another 800.

After a picnic in the peaceful park behind the apse, we returned to Ay (pronounced eye-ee) to visit Chateau Bollinger. We were given a special private tour of some of their 5 km worth of underground caves.
From the heights of heaven to the depths of the cellars, we ended our day's adventures sitting in Madame Bollinger's home as their Chef du Cave tasted Don's Champagne with us, a couple from Moscow, their translator and a charming Parisian wine merchant, Lionel Michelin (of the Michelin Guide???). Hopefully Don, Kay and Lionel will be meeting up in Paris next week...