In Champagne

Hi Everyone,

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Cumieres- a Champagne TownAs forecast,the temperature peaked at 38 degrees Celsius. We were able to find comfortable, leafy spots to moor and survived the heat quite well. We should certainly be adapted to warm weather by now as we have not experienced a winter for years. After the peak, though, the days were milder, mid- 20s rather than mid 30s, though still there was no rain.

The next stage of our trip took us through the beautiful Champagne region, with its chalky slopes planted with grape vines being busily tended at this time of the year. We noticed several pump installations using water from the river to keep the vines in good condition. They were green and lush though elsewhere the countryside was showing signs of six weeks without rain.

Most of the small towns have at least one Champagne House where it is possible to taste and buy direct from the Vigneron.

At Port a BinsonDuring a weekend of festivities at the beginning of July, many of these open their doors and offer food, wine and music to celebrate the approaching harvest. We have in the past enjoyed the festival, and have visited Champagne houses too, so this year we travelled straight through.

Irrigation for the vines
Tours sur Marne is one of our favourite stops in this area. The mooring is beautifully placed opposite a wide stretch of the Marne River and an extensive, well- tended park. The excellent bike paths tempted us out for a ride on a day in the mid- 20s. But the most interesting feature of Tours is its school's visible emphasis on the environment. There is an electronic display outside a new school building, updated constantly, showing its environmental performance in terms of kilowatt hours produced and CO2 saved. Outside another is an "insect house" to attract a variety of insects and give them shelter. Tour's final claim to fame is that its boulangerie won the 2016 award for the "Best Traditional Baguette" of the Marne. Needless to say we bought one to enjoy for lunch and indeed it was excellent.

School at Tours

Just as we left the Champagne area the drought broke. First we had some rain overnight, and then several days with good falls. We have not yet heard whether this will be sufficient to allow the reopening of a canal we want to visit soon, or to allow canals further east to return to normal functioning, especially the Meuse Canal which is currently closed at its southern end.

Insect HousesWe have visited this area twice before and thus have not duplicated material from those earlier blogs. However, previously the Cathedral at Chalons en Champagne was closed but has reopened. It contains the oldest stained glass window in Europe (and possibly the world) in the Treasury. It was made in the 12th Century! It is a beautiful Cathedral and the extensive stained glass windows make it very light and spacious inside.

Cathedral- Chalons en Champagne

Best Regards,

Penelope and Dave