Did Somebody Order Snow?!?!

Well, after absconding from the Moullin Rouge show and going straight home, we were determined to make the next day fantastic! I called reception and put in a wake-up call for 5:45 am to give us time to get ready before heading downstairs for our gourmet buffet breakfast and running off to the tour starting at 7:30am. You'd be surprised how long it takes to get ready when you have to think about the various layers you will need in the various places - you have to be a scout and be prepared, when outside it can be -7 degrees, and inside (particularly the bus) it can feel like 30 degrees!

As I wrote in the last blog, we fell asleep as soon as we got back, then at 5:45am (or so I thought) the phone rang and I answered it - "bleh, blah bleh blah bleh blah" is all I heard - I assumed he said the time and that it was time to get up. "Merci" I replied, and sat up like a limp celery stick that has been left out in the sun for days. I was exhausted. Mum was much the same. But, we got up and started getting ready. I jumped in the shower first hoping there were healing powers in the water that would wake me up - well, a girl can always dream. I got out the shower, put on my watch - and noticed the time, its was 5:00 am!!!! Damn it!!!!! The wake up call was obviously lost in translation and we were woken at 4:45 am. Ugh, too late now. Never mind, we slowly got ready, headed down for breakfast at 6:30 then cabbed it to our tour. We got on a lovely double-decker bus and we were on our way!

As we headed out of Paris city, we saw snow on the ground, cars with ice on them and buildings with white rooftops - it was really cute! Mum and I were so excited as we had been hoping and praying we got to see snow (I had never seen it in my life). We said "Yaaaay, we're going to see snow today!! Woo hoo!!". As we got further out of Paris there was more snow, and then more, and then MORE! It was actually snowing when we arrived in Rheims - yaaaaay!!!! I was like a little kid I was so excited - the snowflakes were so big!! It was gorgeous.

Oh yeah, and the champagne vineyard was awesome too - but the snow!!!!!!

Anywhoo, enough of the snow (sad face), we went to Mumm cellar where they make the wonderful champagne. We went down down down, about 15 metres below the earth (mum was a bit panicky at times) and learnt how they make the champagne - very interesting. They had about 15 million bottles of champagne there currently ageing - thats right, 15 MILLION! It was amazing.

We then headed back up to have a taste of the champagne - now it was mum's turn to be be excited like a little kid - "Yaaay, champagne!!" She had a glass of the brut, I had a sweeter one. We tried each others - and they were soooo good. Pity we only got one glass each!

Then, we got back on the bus and they took us little further in Rheims and showed us the most stunning gothic style church, Rheims Cathedral. It was surreal! Sooo huge, soooo high, and sooo stunning. It is 38 metres high (higher than Notre Dame!) Apparently it is one of the greatest momuments of gothic art and architecture - google it, its fascinating. It is the traditional coronation site for all French kings.

Not a great picture but this is the huge organ (Im not being rude! hahaha) that is centuries old!

After our tour of the cathedral we had 2 hours free time to wander around Rheims and have some lunch - umm, it was snowing, freezing and the wind was so cold it would probably freez your champagne if you were drinking outside! So, we spent the whole time luxuriating in a lovely French restaurant with champagne, sumptuous meals - and of course dessert.
 

Walking around the city of Rheims (not for too long - it was sooo cold!)



I had homemade profriteroles

Mum had a peach & champagne thingie (cant remember what it was called)

Our next tour was to be to the Moet & Chandon cellars, but it had been snowing so heavily that the road we needed to take to get there was closed!! Nevermind, the tour operators quickly made a plan B, and we went to Taittinger (pronounced Tatangie) cellar instead - which I think was much better anyway as it was AMAZING!!!

In case you havent seen enough snow - this is the scenery from inside the Tattinger cellar

The Taittinger cellars are situated above the magnificent 4th Century Roman cellars which at one time belonged to the Benedictine monks of the abbey of St Nicaise, which was mostly destroyed by bombing during the war. Another interesting place to google. We went down, down, down - even further than we did at Mumms, we went 25 metres under the ground - mum was rather terrified, but I stayed away and let some sweet lady talk her through it (she wasnt too bad). This place is amazing. Kilometre upon kilometre of tunnels with gazillions of bottles of champagne (19 million actually), all built in the 13th century by the monks, and still strong and functional today. The knowledge of the people back then - before the computers and instruments we have nowadays astonishes me!

Bottles as far as the eye can see!

We went back up - I think mum was the very fisrt in line!! Hahaha. We had a glass of champers - and it was sooo good I had to buy some!

 A 2hour snowy, slippery bus ride back to Paris and mum and I were back in our PJs ordering room service by 8pm - too exhausted to go out to a nice restaurant/bar as was the plan.
 

A glass of champers, some pizza and we were off to la la land again, recouperating for our next Parisian adventure.

Bonne nuit!!  xx