City Day in Reims

I have missed a couple of days of posting. It might be because of jet lag or because of the haze of fine dining and Champagne from which I am beginning to emerge

We dined Saturday night at Les Jardins Brasserie, on the grounds at Hotel Les Crayeres. We had good food, good wine, and good service. The place has a friendly, casual environment and the great advantage of being only a short walk from our rooms. We dined well and had a great time. Les Jardins is a jolly place tucked in the trees at the edge of the garden, a large park really, that forms the grounds at Les Crayeres. Its a bit like a greenhouse yet chic. We remarked how nice it would be in spring weather and one of our company suggested it would be the most fun in the snow. Anyway it was great fun on Saturday night. The we adjourned to the hotel bar, a genial and beautiful place (and a bit more ritzy).  Most of us could not resist a bit of Armagnac to "round out" the evening and end the day.

Reims Cathedral

Sunday morning we arrived at Reims Cathedral, home of the coronations of the French monarchy, and surely one of the most impressive, and beautiful churches in the world. We met our expert guide, Andre Le Coz, at the tourist office next to the Cathedral. Because it was Sunday morning we could not begin our tour inside because back to back Masses were being celebrated.  However there are a great many things to be observed outside this remarkable structure. In the beginning we stood in the plaza listening to the organ as the fog lifted and the clouds parted. After a cohesive and truly interesting introduction to the structure, its history, and its exterior adornments we toured the adjoining Tau Palace which is itself a marvel as a building.  Further, it houses original statuary and other embellishments which were removed and protected, or salvaged from the ruins of the extensive bombing in the first world war. The pieces of art are notable and ancient. Our guide wove his explanation of them into the story of the church, the palace (which was at the disposal of the Archbishop of Reims), and the history of coronations of the kings of France.

Smiling Angel

I had visited this site three previous times but this time I learned twenty times as much about it, and had a great deal more fun.  For one thing I had never had the "Smiling Angel" pointed  out to me before.   This may in fact be a Champagne Angel in every sense.  If there was a glass in the outstretched hand, it has been removed. My poor photograph at the right shows the angel, but to really get the idea you had better go to Reims (and hire our guide). Just after noon, as Mass ended with much beautiful organ playing and a recessional honoring world war two veterans, we entered the Cathedral.  Again our guide pointed out features I had never noticed and knit the whole presentation together with the history of the church's design, construction, and rebirth after its destruction.

We parted company with our guide and headed for the streets of Reims. Most of the city is very quiet on Sunday, retail stores are just not open.  However as the sun was then shining brightly, we took full advantage of the central pedestrian area.
We headed in all directions looking for lunch, and of course Champagne.  Most of us had abstained from Champagne for more than 12 hours.  While the more hardy types walked about and checked out the scene, my contingent quickly found the sidewalk café Le Gaulois.  It had an ample supply of Champagne and  quite good food as well.  We enjoyed bright October sun and several bottles of great Champagne.



That night we dined at the Restaurant Le Parc at Les Crayeres. Fine Food, Great Service, and Wonderful Company.  But that is a tale for the next installment. This was too big a day to report in one session.