Now we are back in France. Last time we were here was in 2007 and that was long before I had an SLR digital camera or a netbook or a blog. We picked up our hire car, an Opel Astra with built-in SatNav and as usual finding our way out of Charles de Gaulle Airport was a little tricky but we were soon on the road to Compienge where we had booked accommodation. We knew we were in France when on the way we were stopped by the police to allow a cycle race to pass. Next day (Sunday) it was raining but the country looked as beautiful as ever. When in doubt where to go - follow the brown signs (tourist attractions) or the green roads (scenic routes) on Michelin maps - so we went to Raray an imposing Chateau now a Golf Course cum Country Club. The attached village was also full of interesting houses.
Raray chateau in the rain.
On Monday we went driving around the Champagne country. Undulating country covered in vines and fields of wheat interspersed with bits of forest and along the roads often avenues of trees. The roses and irises are glorious and most villages have lots of flowerbeds and often some public land, beautifully kept with picnic tables. We found ourselves in Epernay and took a tour of Mercier. One of the attractions was that the tour was by Le Petit Train. The cellars are in chalk 30m below ground and the tunnels were dug by hand in the 1850s and 1860s (about 20km I think).
Self Explanatory - we trundled past long rows of these on Le Petit Train.
Looking down one of side tunnels.
Typical champagne countryside.
Everywhere in the beautiful countryside of Northern France are beautifully kept World War 1 cemeteries. This one is French at Verzy.
On Tuesday we followed the
Champagne tour on a map we got from the tourist bureau. Every village
seems to have several champagne cellars with the proprietor selling
direct. It would be advisable to follow this route by bus with someone
else driving.
Typical sign in a Champagne village.
Typical champagne cellar.
In Haut Villiers there are lots of these metal signs on the houses.
Just another attractive French house in Haut Villiers.
We did our shopping at the Carrefour in Chalons-en-Champagne. French supermarkets are something else - 30 or 40 checkouts (and a few self-service which are quite useless) and the range of fresh food is mind boggling and mouth watering. Long counters of cheeses, pates, fish, shellfish and dairy products to say nothing of wine etc aqnd a full range of boulangerie and patisserie products.
Part of the fish selection.
A few cheeses - imagine a whole long aisle.
A lot of the houses in the villages are of stone and the streets are often very narrow, but the speed limit is 50 kph which suits me as a tourist.
When we were here in 2007, we stumbled upon the 15th and 16thC half timbered churches in the Aube district near Troyes. We only had a reference to some of them in the Michelin Regional guide, but this year we got a proper map from the Tourist Bureau and with the Sat Nav we found them all. I know this holiday does sound as if it is turning into a church tour, but I am interested in history and in earlier times, churches were where people lavished most of their resources.
Irises and roses are everywhere.
I think this is Outines in the Aube district
Statue of St James at Lentilles.
The porch of Longsols church
Inside Longsols church showing the roof construction.
I am not sure where in the Christian pantheon this statue fits.
Saint Leger sous Margerie.
I will need to edit these church photos a bit, but I hope you get the idea of these 15thC and 16thC timber framed churches. They are all in one small area.
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