Reims

EDUCO offered weekend trips and I signed up and was selected to visit Reims in the Champagne region of France. The arrangements were all taken care of by EDUCO and I was to stay with a family for the weekend. Reims is near all of the major Champagne companies and it is home to one of the most amazing cathedrals in France. The evening of Friday, March 23, I departed on the TGV (France’s High Speed Train). The ride was quick, and the scenery was beautiful as I arrived in the Northern part of France. Although the plants were dead, the hills and vineyards reminded me of the Tuscan region of Italy. I arrived at the train station and was greeted by my “Host Mom” for the weekend. We met her husband in the parking lot and drove back to their house on the outskirts of the city. As we drove back, they showed me some of the important areas of the city. We arrived at their house, had a nice dinner (not gourmet like my family in Paris, but I enjoyed it). That evening we didn’t do much, but I watched TV with their children. We watched a lot of the Simpsons in French which was really funny. The next day, I awoke later than I expected and I was disappointed to see that it was raining really hard. I had breakfast and a late lunch, and then we went into the city to visit the cathedral. Our first stop was the famous Cathédrale Nortre-Dame. It was beautiful and gigantic. Then we walked around the city seeing some of the other cool sites like city hall and the main pedestrian area. It was a nice town, but it made me appreciate everything Paris has to offer. Our next stop was a bakery. In Reims they are famous for their biscuits. However they are not biscuits like you would find at Popeye’s (which I miss a lot!). They are sweet and crunchy. They are actually a cookie. The famous biscuits in Reims are rose biscuits. They are pink in color and have a sweet taste with a hint of a strange flavor. They are very good and go back to the 1700's when they were first made to accompany wine, especially Champagne. My family bought me a few boxes of biscuits to bring home with me. They were delicious. That evening we returned had dinner and watched a very important soccer match between France and Lithuania. France won and it was a great game. It was fun watching with French people because they were very emotional during the entire match. Sunday we went to Champagne country. The drive from Reims to EpernayChampagne where many of the companies are located was great. We went through little towns, over a mountain, and then arrived to find vineyards and champagne houses. We visited the Mercier Champagne House (Champagne Factory). We went on a tour of the wine caves and they are so large that we took a train to travel through the caves. I learned a lot about the process of making Champagne and the history of this individual company. The story behind the company is interesting. To promote his product, Mr. Mercier went to Paris with a hot air balloon and took important people of ParisChampagne. for rides in his balloon while they tasted his The Champagne was brought in a huge barrel with him to Paris that had to be pulled by oxen and horses. At the end of the tour we were able to sample a glass of the Champagne. It was tasty, but I didn’t notice a difference from other Champagne I have tasted. From the factory, we took the scenic route back to Reims. We stopped at this very old mill that overlooks the entire valley. We then drove back to their house, I got my stuff together, and it was time to head back to Paris! It was a relaxing weekend and I enjoyed the sites of the region.