We left home at 6.44 am, only 14 minutes later than scheduled. Traffic was light and we had a good journey to Folkestone, the only congestion being when we went over the QE2 bridge at the Dartford crossing (see above). The 107 miles took us less than 2 hours, which meant that we caught the 9.20 Shuttle, which was half an hour earlier than scheduled.
We arrived in Calais and were on the road by soon after 11am French time. After exploring all the roundabouts outside the Centre Commercial next to the station we set off the right direction. The roads were empty by British standards and so we were able to make good progress. We did over 100 miles before stopping for lunch at a service station. We bought a couple of filled baguettes – big mistake!
We got back on the road and got to Epernay in good time. The 192 miles since Calais brought the daily total up to 299- should have driven round those roundabouts a few more times! We were at the hotel before 3pm and when checking in we were recommended the tour of the cellars at Moet et Chandon, in the Avenue de Champagne, just a few hundred metres from the hotel. We got there in time for the 3.30 tour.
There were about 20 people on our tour. We had a guide who seemed a little inexperienced but still tried her best. We were the swots of the class being the only ones who asked her questions. At the end, there was the degustation, and it turned out that we were the only people who had ordered vintage champagne. Well, those cheapskates missed out. It was the first time either of us had tried vintage champagne, and it is much better than the other stuff! At the end of the tour, we were, inevitably, directed to the shop. There were lots of very expensive champagne-related items on sale there, but at least Helen managed to find a fortieth birthday present for Fiona there. As we left, I made the acquaintance of Dom Perignon, as you can see above.
We called in at the Office de Tourisme on our way back to the hotel. They had a free champagne tasting there, so we had another couple of glasses there – definitely not in the same league as vintage Moet! We finally got back to our room, which was a bit cramped – only one star I think. The shower was definitely three star though, but the bed, which creaked when you moved, was a one star also.
There was not a restaurant in our hotel, so we had to see what was available in the town. The selection available was not great and we chose eventually a brasserie not far from the hotel. Helen had steak frites and I had menu with the same main dish. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t expensive either – cheap and cheerful in fact. Tomorrow we go to Clermont Ferrand.
We arrived in Calais and were on the road by soon after 11am French time. After exploring all the roundabouts outside the Centre Commercial next to the station we set off the right direction. The roads were empty by British standards and so we were able to make good progress. We did over 100 miles before stopping for lunch at a service station. We bought a couple of filled baguettes – big mistake!
We got back on the road and got to Epernay in good time. The 192 miles since Calais brought the daily total up to 299- should have driven round those roundabouts a few more times! We were at the hotel before 3pm and when checking in we were recommended the tour of the cellars at Moet et Chandon, in the Avenue de Champagne, just a few hundred metres from the hotel. We got there in time for the 3.30 tour.
There were about 20 people on our tour. We had a guide who seemed a little inexperienced but still tried her best. We were the swots of the class being the only ones who asked her questions. At the end, there was the degustation, and it turned out that we were the only people who had ordered vintage champagne. Well, those cheapskates missed out. It was the first time either of us had tried vintage champagne, and it is much better than the other stuff! At the end of the tour, we were, inevitably, directed to the shop. There were lots of very expensive champagne-related items on sale there, but at least Helen managed to find a fortieth birthday present for Fiona there. As we left, I made the acquaintance of Dom Perignon, as you can see above.
We called in at the Office de Tourisme on our way back to the hotel. They had a free champagne tasting there, so we had another couple of glasses there – definitely not in the same league as vintage Moet! We finally got back to our room, which was a bit cramped – only one star I think. The shower was definitely three star though, but the bed, which creaked when you moved, was a one star also.
There was not a restaurant in our hotel, so we had to see what was available in the town. The selection available was not great and we chose eventually a brasserie not far from the hotel. Helen had steak frites and I had menu with the same main dish. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t expensive either – cheap and cheerful in fact. Tomorrow we go to Clermont Ferrand.
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