This illness runs in the family, you know...
Halloween at Disneyland
Cycling tour in Paris. In front of the Golden Dome Church, which was originally built to serve as a private chapel for Louis XIV and his family. Today you can also visit Napoleon's tomb inside the church.
The weather forecast had predicted rain on the day of our cycling tour. Despite that, we I decided to go ahead with the plan. The first hour was absolutely perfect. It was a bank holiday so traffic was light. The autumn air was crisp, the ground was carpeted with fallen leaves, and we were in a small intimate group of 10. Our apprehension about cycling in the center of Paris was quickly forgotten as we enjoyed our tour guide's anecdotes and listened to the history behind the grand facades of the city.
Then hell happened. Erm...I meant hail. We heard the rumbling of thunder from afar, and felt the tiny raindrops on our heads, so we started to rummage for our ponchos and umbrellas. Not half a minute later, we were shelled by a torrent of ice, accompanied by furious wind and rain. Five minutes later, the attack ceased abruptly, and it was bright blue skies, birds chirping and the sun peeking through the fluffy white clouds. What the h***?? I emerged from it looking like a lost witch.
After the hailstorm.
Here we were attempting to make a right turn into Place de la Concorde, as an intact group of 10 cyclists. It is as crazy as it sounds. But our guide had the maneuver strategy down to a tee. We waited by the cycle path on the side of the road until the lights turned red. Then we lined up our bicycles in front of the cars, blocking any vehicles from cutting in front of us. When the lights turned green, we cycled in unison to make that turn. It was an amazing experience, taking control of that intimidating street the way we did.
The tour took us into the Tuilleries Garden for lunch. Soph loved her tandem bike that she shared with KFZ, and asked for more. KFZ promised to do that as soon as his legs recovers from the ordeal.
The region of Champagne was next on the agenda. It was freezing cold with the rain when we arrived, so we spent most of our time inside our warm rental car. Champagne refers to both the wine and the region. (le Champagne is the wine, la Champagne is the place) Sparking wine is produced is many parts of the world, but only those made in this region under strict appellation rules can be called champagne. The rest call them...well, sparkling wine.
Vineyards everywhere you look
We wanted to visit the wine cellars where the wines are produced and aged, and since we're rubbish with wine, we could only handle one visit. So we chose the biggest and brashest of them all - Moet & Chandon (think Scarlett Johansson).
Inside the cellars of Moet & Chandon. These bottles are stored in a tilted position to allow the sediments to settle at the neck of the bottle. Every day, workers manually twist each bottle - by hand - by miniscule degrees to allow the sediments to settle properly.
Secret code on the constitution of the wine, only known to the oneologist and his team. You'll be drinking one of them in 6-8 years.
A drink (or two, or three) is included in the cellar tour
Next up, Provins: medieval city and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is listed because the town has retained much of its medieval flavour, when it was a major European trading post in the 12th and 13th century. Today, the town hosts medieval-themed events throughout the year, including medieval feasts, medieval shows, etc.
Medieval city walls. Not a medieval man.
The support beams of this house are slanted with age
Taken in the town square
Not exactly medieval, but still close to a century old
The brave Prince with his demure Princess
The medieval show was surprisingly entertaining, if in a tacky way. The audience enjoyed boo-ing the villans and cheering on the heroes, Count Thibaud of the 13th century and his friends.
I swear the villians are straight out of the Lord of the Rings.
No comments:
Post a Comment