Category: Escapes

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Champagne at Thanksgiving…continued

Time to find a place to stay:

Reims seemed to be an obvious choice. Big name Champagne houses in town, five main wine producing areas nearby, and close enough to small villages with their own Champagne houses, this fit the bill.

Since we were only going to be there 10 days, I decided to focus on three of those five main wine producing areas. Thes five regions include Montagne de Reims, Vallee de la Marne, Cote des Blancs, Cote des Bar, and Cote de Sezanne.

Montagne de Reims is known for Pinot Noir grapes. We could find the towns and villages of Mailly, Verzenay, and Verzy.

Grapes grown in the Vallee de la Marne are Pinot Meunier and are centered mostly around Epernay and Ay.

Cote des Blancs is known for its Chardonnay grapes, The villages of Avize, Cramant, and Chouilly,

Pinot Noir and some Chardonnay in the hills can be found in the Cote des Bar region.

Much smaller in size in the Cote de Sezanne region where you will find both Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. These tend to be fruit forward in taste.

When we travel, we like to stay in apartments instead of hotels. Nothing against hotels. But, staying in a space like an apartment gives us more options. We can eat breakfast or snacks in our own space, put a bottle or two of Champagne in the refrigerator for later, do some laundry if we need to, and have more space to spread out.

Since we travel a lot, I spend quite a bit of time searching rentals from Airbnb, VRBO, and any other vacation rental companies I find. This time there was just my husband and me so I searched for a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment with a washer close to the main area in Reims. Keep in mind when renting an apartment in Europe, bathrooms can mean different things than we might assume here in the US. If you like a shower, make sure that is specifically listed. If you prefer a tub, look for that.

Reminder…When looking for an apartment with two bathrooms, check to see how many toilets (water closets) are listed. If the listing doesn’t specifically say, check the photos carefully. We’ve thought we had two toilets when we traveled with my brother and sister-in-law only to find out the listing that said two complete bathrooms did not actually include two toilets. Yes, it had two showers and two sinks but only one toilet. Had we looked at all the photos carefully, we would have seen their two pictures of toilets were actually the some one just photographed from different angles.

In Reims we ended up with an amazing apartment that included a parking garage. Our host spoke no English and my French is fairly weak. I’m much better at reading it than speaking! We made it work by translating through an app. He met us on a side street as the street where we were staying had bollards. We needed a card to scan as we entered the street so the bollards could descend into the street and we could drive through.

The apartment could not have been better. Spacious and well equipped, we could have easily stayed for a month instead of nine days! Location was perfect with walking distance to everything we needed. I’ve tried to book this apartment a second time but it was already booked. I can definitely see why. It’s one of the best places we have stayed.

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Champagne at Thanksgiving…part 2

Learning about Champagne:

Homework Time…

I learned that different champagnes are defined by their grape varietals and sweetness levels. There is also the difference of whether they are vintage or non-vintage. Champagnes are also categorized by their color, including white, rosé, and even black or “noir” varieties. Their color, like all still wines, comes from the skins of the grape and how long the juice is left with those skins.

In addition, the specific blend of grapes (even grapes from different years), the amount of added sugar (dosage), and whether the champagne is a single vintage or a blend from multiple years determines its unique character. 

So, how many different styles of Champagne can there be? Quite a few. This is what I learned.

Chardonnay grapes provide a crisp Champagne. You could even taste citrus. Usually these Champagnes age well. These grapes are white or light skinned.

Pinot Noir grapes tend to produce a fruitier flavor, especially in the Montagne de Reims region. These are black skinned grapes.

Pinot Meunier grapes often yield a bolder flavor. These are also black sinned grapes.

Now to find what grapes are used to make each type of Champagne.

Blanc de Blancs is a white Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes. Always. Only Chardonnay grapes are used in Blanc de Blancs.

Blanc de Noirs is a white Champagne made only from black grapes. These can be from Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier. No Chardonnay grapes here.

Rose Champagne is created by adding a small amount of red wine to the white wine.

Stay tuned…

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Champagne at Thanksgiving

Six Months Prior to Thanksgiving…

When my husband asked if I wanted Champagne at Thanksgiving, of course I said yes. Then, he asked if we should go to the Champagne area in France for Thanksgiving. Once more, my answer was yes.

Frist order of business: buy tickets.

I searched airline websites, Google, Kayak, and anywhere else I could think of. This is my usual method to find the best tickets for prices, times, seat selection, non-stop versus direct, layovers, etc. Air France met my criteria except for one thing. We live in San Diego and would need to drive to Los Angeles to get the best prices and times. That meant getting a one-way rental car to get to LA and one to get back to San Diego.

In the past, one-way car rentals have been quite reasonably priced. Often I could find one for under $100, many times closer to $50. This time they were slightly higher but still cost effective. Drive time needed to be factored in as well. Again, in the past, if we left at the right time we could make it to LAX in a reasonable amount of time. (stay tuned for what we ACTUALLY spent and how long it took us!)

Flights booked, rental cars booked…next a place to stay. Time to decide where to stay in Champagne. We had been in the area previously but knew we wanted to do a more in-depth trip this time. Therefore, I decided to learn a little more about Champagne itself and maybe that would help me narrow down the town we wanted as our base.

Where do we taste Champagne. What villages do we go to. How should we structure our days? After all, according to Champagne, France, there are over 16,000 growers, 125 cooperatives, and 390 houses. Whew! Where do we start?

I’ll let you know if the next issue…

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Saint Remy Feria…Bulls

Saint Remy Feria…Bulls

Bulls were running in the streets. We were there. This was not Pamplona.

On our way into town, the owner of the apartment we had rented called and told us to arrive before 4:00 in the afternoon as the bulls would be running. Not having a clue what he was talking about, we made sure we arrived early.

Signs all over town advertised the Feria, the popular festival of summer. As we drove through the streets, we noticed huge, heavy metal barricades lining the streets. Were there really going to be bulls running down the streets? If the fences were any indication, there were.

Wondering what this was all about, we asked our host. He explained the festival brings all aspects of games involving bulls…except for killing them. It’s more of a four-day party celebrating harvest. There’s a parade where everyone wears traditional costumes and traditional brass bands go up and down almost every street. There are bull races, running of the bulls, and Camarguais horses. A Portuguese bullfight takes place…but no killing of the bulls.

Bulls are driven through the streets by teams of guardians riding gray-white Camarguais horses. The men and women carry long spears on the stocky horses. These horses are descendants of a very old breed with square jaws, long manes, thick necks, and big hoofs. They are famous for their agility and endurance, not necessarily for their beauty.

Each team herds their bulls, galloping at full speed through the streets. The goal is to drive the bulls up a ramp and into a truck. Teams are judged on speed, skill, and presentation.

Now we knew why the barricades were high, strong, and thick metal.

Once the riders started herding their bulls down the streets, cheers and clapping became almost deafening. A festival indeed.

We noticed another piece of this crazy run. Young men, mostly, step through the barricades and try to touch them on their back. Apparently, it’s for luck! Right…

As the festivities wind down, people head to their favorite bar to toast the night’s running of the bulls.

As for the parade…stay tuned.

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Popes Palace Avignon, France

Popes Palace, Avignon, France

Frist, a little history…

Much of the 14th century Italy was ravaged by wars. By 1309 Rome was basically a violent and unwelcoming city. So violent that Pope Clement V could not remain in the city of Rome.

The Popes then moved the center of the Catholic church to Avignon, France from 1309 to 1377. Seven different popes were in control of the church during that time. By 1377 Rome’s atmosphere had improved that the Pope was able to return.

During their time in Avignon, Pope Benoit XII and Pope Clement VI built the largest gothic style palace and church in the world. This took only 18 years to build most of the enormous series of buildings.

No expense was spared on building this as the Catholic church was eager to spend the money on the project. With 15,000 square meters of floor area, decorated lavishly, this was the most impressive building in the western world at the time it was completed.

In 1378 the French cardinals objected to a new Italian pope and they established an alternate pope in Avignon, Pope Clement VII. He reigned until 1394 and was succeeded by Pope Benedict XIII. These two were known as the Anti-Popes, dividing the Catholic church until 1403.

By the 15th century, the Popes Palace fell into disrepair for several centuries. After the French Revolution, the palace was used as a military prison. Since 1906 the palace has undergone major restoration.

To visit…

Spend at least an hour, more if you can, to wander through the 15,000 square meters of amazing space. Look up at the Department of Archives. It’s 52 meters up.

Enter the Popes Palace through the Porte des Champeaux, the main entrance in the middle of the front. The two turrets on either side are new since the originals have long since collapsed. There are two courtyards. The Great Courtyard, La Cour d’Honneur, and the Small Courtyard. You will see the New Palace with its Great Chapel and the Great Audience Hall.

A total of 25 rooms are open to visitors. Soaring architecture, frescoes, wall coverings, mosaic tiles, paintings, a pope’s personal chambers, and more are sites you don’t want to miss. The Papal Throne in the Popes Room is a careful copy, but still impressive. There are tombs of some Popes, a grand staircase, and so much more. Check out the watchtowers, marvel at how they built 10-foot-thick walls, and take extra time to make your way down some impossibly steep stairs to one of the gardens. Going back up is almost more challenging as you climb a narrow tower to the level above.

Some rooms even have computer screens depicting what that room would have looked like back in that time period.

Prebook a guided tour to avoid the crowds and the lines if you go during a busy time of year.

Classified as a UNESCO site in 1995 the Palace of the Popes is one of the 10 most visited sites in France.

If You Go: The Palace of the Popes is located at Pl. de Palais, Avignon, France

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Pont du Gard

Pont du Gard

Northeast of Nimes lies the town of Uzes. With its rich French heritage, considered the first duchy of France, and its dozens of small villages surrounded by oaks and pines Uzes has plenty to offer.

Perhaps the most famous and certainly a huge reminder is the Pont du Gard.

Located in the Occitanie region of France is the Pont du Gard, a three-story aqueduct bridge crossing the Gardon River. The Pont du Gard rests on a rocky base, creating a challenge for the builders.

A little history… Emperor Augustus, who expanded the city of Nimes, dreamt of making Nimes the rival to Rome. But, he needed water. There was a river. The river Eure met their needs, if they could get the water where they wanted it.

Emperor Claude decided to build an aqueduct, knowing there were two challenges. They had to bypass the Garrigues massif which separates Uzes from Nimes and they had to span the Gardon with its over 50-foot floods.

In only 15 years, the 49 meter high Pont du Gard was completed. At 52 km long, it is the highest in the Roman world. Stones from the Estel quarry, 500 meters away, were brought on flat-bottomed boats against a major river current. The arches of the aqueducts were massive at 24.5 meters. This was well over the norm at that time which was 13 meters. Nothing like that had ever been done.

With the water the aqueduct was able to transport for fountains, spas, and houses of the privileged the city of Uzes grew from just a few thousand to over 22,000.

The Pont du Gard has been considered one of the major accomplishments of the Roman civilization. It ceased to function around the beginning of the 6th century. Today it is located at a distance from the villages with only two buildings close to it.

This is a true masterpiece of Roman construction. This most-visited ancient monument in France is listed as a world heritage site by Unesco. Take some time to explore this amazing site.

If You Go: The Pont du Gard is located at 400 Rte du Pont du Gard, 30210 Vers-Pont-du-Gard, France

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Pommery Champagne House

Pommery Champagne House

Not only does Pommery produce an amazing dry Champagne, the history surrounding Madame Pommery is truly an interesting aspect of this house.

She was one of the great Champagne widows of the 19th century. She is the one you can credit with bring the sweeter sparkling wines to a dryer Champagne. Pommery was born in 1819 and married into a prominent wool family in Reims, France. Once her two sons were born, her husband left the wool industry and dived into the wine business. Two years later, he died. She was only 38 years old.

At that point she decided to carry on with his wine business, changing the business plan fairly quickly from red wines to sparkling wines. She had the uncanny ability to see that the English market would take a liking to delicate, fine, dry Champagne. And, it did.

Ahead of her time, she created Pommery Nature in 1874, the first brut Champagne that had major commercial success. In 1868 she decided to relocate to a different place and launched the “construction site of the century” in Reims. She used the crayeres chalkpits as wine cellars. French and Belgian miners had dug into the earth an interconnected set of tunnels.

Today, the variety of grapes used, the quality of the harvest, the selection of vintages for blends, and the time spent ageing in the cellar all add to the special flavors of Pommery Champagne.

So many processes and procedures go into making this Champagne, with oenologists and the Cellar Master testing the entire way. This ensures Pommery’s distinctive aroma, flavor, and quality will be there in every bottle.

Take a tour, taste the Champagne, and do not miss the lower level of galleries. The staircase alone is amazing if not monumental. With 116 steps down is the only connection to the lower level of caves from the main level.

Art, sculptures, and rotating exhibits are tastefully arranged throughout the lower level. The Pommery Champagne house is not only a feast for your mouth…it’s a feast for your eyes as well.

Cheers!

If You Go: Pollery is located at 5 Place du General Gouraud, Reims, France

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Hoover Dam

Recently we visited Hoover Dam. Not having been there for a few years, the drop in the water level of Lake Mead was significant.

This time, we took a tour inside the dam. Seeing where men worked to build this massive structure, learning how the dam was built, and viewing the dam from inside made us think about the years in which this was completed.

Some facts we learned from our tour:

Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Black Canyon of the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona.

The dam was constructed between 1931 and 1936, during the Great Depression. Involving thousands of workers from every state and materials from every state, the dam was built to control flooding, provide irrigation, and produce hydroelectric power.

Since the Colorado River had to be diverted in order to build the dam, four diversion tunnels had to be constructed first. Concrete for the dam was first poured on June 6, 1933, 18 months ahead of schedule.

Over seven million visitors a year visit Hoover Dam, with many of those taking the tour to the inside.

It is as tall as a 60-story building.

The base is 600 feet thick.

Highest concrete arch dam in US.

We walked through some of the tunnels.

There is a monitor for earthquakes.

If You Go: Hoover Dam is located 37 miles from Las Vegas.

For tour information, https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/service/index.html

For more things to do close to Las Vegas, check out https://travelsandescapes.net/2022/06/13/bellagio-conservatory/

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The Neon Museum

Lights are everywhere in Las Vegas. This is especially true at the Neon Museum, where a phenomenal collection of iconic Las Vegas signs is on display.

Founded in 1996, this non-profit organization collections, preserves, studies, and exhibits these amazing signs. The Neon Museum Boneyard is where we took our tour.

First stop, the Neon Museum Visitors’ Center, which is located inside the historic La Concha Motel lobby. This distinctive shell-shaped building was designed by acclaimed architect Paul Revere Williams. The curvilinear La Concha Motel lobby is a striking example of Mid-Century modern design characterized by Atomic- and Space Age shapes and motifs. Originally constructed in 1961 on Las Vegas Boulevard South (next to the Riviera Hotel), the La Concha lobby was saved from demolition in 2005 and moved in 2006 to its current location to serve as the Museum’s Visitors’ Center. References to many of the lobby’s original interior design elements have been included in the newly refurbished facility, with two of the motel’s original signs – the mosaic lobby sign and a section of the main roadside sign – restored and illuminated as part of the Museum’s rehabilitation efforts.

On to the Boneyard. Over 200 unrestored signs live here. Since we wanted to see the full effect, our tour was the sunset one. With everything being lit up, it was quite the spectacle. Signs I remember from being here as a kid sat along those more modern ones.

We learned stories about signs, learned their historical importance, heard about the personalities who created them, and the role each of these played in Vegas history. Not all signs were actual neon signs. Some had other lights or were powered by something other than neon.

This is definitely worth a stop. My personal recommendation would be to go at night to get the whole effect.

If You Go: The Neon Museum is located at 770 Las Vegas Boulevard North. For tickets and special events info check out https://secure.neonmuseum.org/events

For more Las Vegas info, check out https://travelsandescapes.net/2022/06/13/bellagio-conservatory/

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Red Rock Canyon

Las Vegas has plenty of glitz, entertainment of all types, and neon. When you want a change from all of that, head west of the Las Vegas Strip into the Mojave Desert. Spend a day at Red Rock Canyon.

Red Rock Canyon was designated as Nevada’s first National Conservation Area.  Located 17 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip on Charleston Boulevard/State Route 159, this area is visited by more than two million people each year. 

In marked contrast to a town geared to entertainment and gaming, Red Rock offers enticements of a different nature including a 13-mile scenic drive, miles of hiking trails, rock climbing, horseback riding, mountain biking, road biking, picnic areas, nature observing and visitor center with indoor and outdoor exhibits as well as a bookstore.

In 1990, special legislation supported by the Nevada congressional delegation, changed the status of the Red Rock Recreation Lands to a National Conservation Area, the seventh to be designated nationally. This legislation provides the funding to protect and improve the area.

Keep in mind, you’re in the desert. The best time to visit would be morning. Take plenty of water, sun protection, and be smart about your visit.

We spent several hours along the 13-mile scenic drive, after first stopping at the Visitor Center. With indoor and outdoor exhibits, plant specimens, and live Desert Tortoise habitats, we learned much about the desert, the landscape, and the petroglyphs found here. Desert Tortoises wandered close to us, on their side of the fence. Surprising how fast they could move.

Along our drive we stopped to marvel at the different layers of rocks, the multitude of colors, and the amazingly different landscapes and canyons.

We took one hike to the Petroglyph wall, where we were able to see the historical wall art that dates back at least 800 years.

Reservations are required to enter the area, with timed entries given when you register.

For more information on reservations, check out https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10075177.

If You Go: Take West Charleston Blvd which is State Route 159 from Las Vegas. Take water, sun protection, and your camera.

For more things to do around Las Vegas, check out https://travelsandescapes.net/?s=Bellagio