A Visit to Champagne

There are many perks to studying abroad as a college student.  One of these perks is that you get to take advantage of all the trips organized by various student study-abroad organizations and travel for prices that probably shouldn't exist, they're so low.  I utilized this perk, along with one of my friends, Rachel, and we went off on a day trip to Reims and a tour of the Mercier Champagne cellar with the University of Connecticut.

Reims is an extremely beautiful little town.  Parts of it are still cobblestone, and sometimes it seems slightly medieval.  This is helped, of course, by the huge cathedral in the middle of the town, its half-gothic architecture creating the sensation of being transported back in time.  Inside the cathedral is a mix of the old and the new; stained glass dates from the time the cathedral was built all the way up to a new installation of stained glass created by Marc Chagall in 1968.  Somehow it all blends together, and I was awed by the enormity of everything inside the cathedral.

The square outside the cathedral

The Reims cathedral

Stained glass inside the cathedral

The Marc Chagall stained glass inside the cathedral

After lunch, we headed away from Reims into the heart of the Champagne region, going to tour the Mercier cellars.  The bus ride itself took about an hour, winding through tiny roads, surrounded on either side by vineyards stretching as far as the eye could see.  Finally arriving at Mercier, we were all placed on a little train that chugged along through the underground tunnels stretching for miles, giving us a glimpse into how Mercier makes and stores their champagne.

The start of the champagne tour

Stone decorations in the cellar

A very long, very blurry hallway filled with bottles of champagne

Part of the Mercier vineyards

Upon finishing the tour, we were given a taste of the Mercier champagne and then set loose to peruse and purchase at our leisure.  I enjoyed the champagne enough to buy a half-bottle of it, which is now sitting patiently in my refrigerator, waiting for an occasion to be opened.  All in all, I would count it as a very fun day, complete with a beautiful view of the sunset on the bus back into Paris.

Katrina