Ballard's Tour de France: May 27, 2014: Reims

Arrived in Paris @ 9:00 AM, breezed through customs (amazing!), got our luggage off the conveyor belt, and met up with Becky and Jerry just outside baggage claim. Together we went to pick up our car (again, a breeze) and got ready to head out of Paris. Rich and Jerry had to finagle our luggage into the trunk like a jigsaw puzzle, but we got everything to fit. (If Becky or I buy much of anything, it's going to end up on our laps for the rest of the trip.) We reached Reims in time for a late lunch and then toured the city and its most famous landmark, the Reims Notre Dame Cathedral. This is France's version of Westminster Abbey and it was here that 26 French kings were crowned. The exterior of the cathedral, besides depicting religious events from the Old and New Testaments, also includes statues of the French kings.

Reims is also the champagne capital of France. On a whim, we stopped at the Tourist Office to see if we could get reservations for a champagne cave tour and tasting this afternoon (It was already @ 4:15 and most wineries close by 5:00 or 5:30). As luck would have it, a small winery, Charles de Casanove. was able to accommodate us. We had a nice tour and sampled 3 different types of champagne (very generous pours!!). I'd been jet-lagged all day and had been feeling a little woozy and thought the champagne was going to do me in, but I actually started feeling better. I think I just discovered a new cure for jet lag!

The rest of the evening was pretty boring. Rich and I went back to our hotel to get some sleep and Becky and Jerry went in search of a Laundromat.