About the only way Sonny could drag me from Barcelona was with a small bribe – a trip to Champagne, home of, you guessed it, champagne.
It’s a fair hike, so we took two days, overnighting in the friendly and comfortable L’Univers Hotel in Mont Lucon.
Lunch on the way to Champagne was in the small town of Briare. A pretty town we just happened to be passing through at lunch time.
There’s canals in Briare.
Canals on canals.
Seriously.
Look at this. It’s a boat, on a canal, on a bridge, over a canal!
And these photos were taken from a road bridge, over the canal, over the canal.
Love it!
Small towns can be very hit and miss when it comes to food, but in a fairly residential area I spotted a Vietnamese restaurant, checked the menu and gave it the nod.
So glad. The food was fantastic, and we sat outdoors in a little lotus-pond garden.
If you ever happen to be near the area at an eating time of day, you really should go to Le Lotus De Briare. Find more details about it here.
The food was so good, I ate before I took pictures, and even ordered seconds of the Goi Cuon.
Back on the road.
To the town of Mareuil-sur-Ay, and our hotel for the night…
How fun!
We slept on a boat,
floating in champagne!
The boat remains docked in the same place summer and winter. There are a few rooms for different-sized travelling parties, and breakfast, with home-made jams, is included.
The girls loved their bed…
Quirky, quiet, and very relaxing. We all loved staying on the boat.
More information here.
Epernay didn’t thrill in the dinner stakes but, for a change, I wasn’t there for the food.
We tried a few champagnes that night, but saved exploring the area until the next day.
Notre Dame of the vineyards, amongst the grapevines, and right next to her…
Pretty, pretty fields of flowers.
There is a reason for this.
It brings the bees in.
Simple, and it makes me smile.
The kids decorated the car with flowers…
Sunday is not the best day to spend going to wineries in France, as many are closed, but we still found a few.
Me and the monk.
Mercier runs a good little tour via a train that transports you through part of the 18km of underground tunnels that form the caves (cellars) of Maison Mercier. I learned some things, and we finished with a tasting.
I found a new career option for myself – bottle turner (make that jacqui bottle turner, hahah). I love the idea that people are paid to walk through the caves and turn each bottle ever so slightly, each day. Like a little meditation.
Mercier himself was pretty out there coming up with wild marketing ideas, and such, but also cared a lot for his workers and wanted them to have a nice work environment, so the caves are lined with artwork.
The Merciers that I tasted, I didn’t love, so we left there empty-handed to check out a couple of the smaller houses, where we did buy a couple of bottles. Shame my blog is so far behind and I don’t remember which ones they were anymore!
Aaaaaah. Champagne.
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