On Monday morning, Jacques took us to two local historical sites. The first was a statue to Pope Urbain II, the organizer of the crusades in the 1095. The first picture is what surrounds the hill, villages and vineyards. The statue was built in th
e late 1800s. It dominates the scenery because it sits on a hill.
It was cold (50) and windy, so it was not all that pleasant to be walking around on the top of the hill.
Then we went to the the church and abbey where Dom
Pérignon was the cellar master.
The church is quite old, but well kept. Legend has it, and it is apparently legend, that Dom Pérignon invented Champagne. "Come quickly, I am drinking the stars!"—is supposedly what he said when tasting the first sparkling champagne. It is a charming myth, but apparently not true. Champagne was actually invented by a Brit. In any case, it was beautiful place to visit.
The countryside in Champagne is beautiful this time of year. Acres and acres of vineyards on the hill sides, all neatly cared for, in the valley farm land. It was cloudy so the pictures ar
e not great, but you can get the idea of how it looks.
After another superb meal, we drove to Verdun where we plan to visit the battlefields.
