27-7

Our journey began in Leiden, where we took the Intercity to Rotterdam, then Thalys to Brussels-Zuid and then on to Marne La Val Ches

(incidentally, the last of which is a real mouthful); this is where Disneyland Paris is located, followed by Champagnes Ardennes (the station not the region), and, finally, Reims. All in all, the total time it took us to get there was only 5 hours approx. Upon arrival, Dumi's GPS let us down at first as we passed the same guy twice on the street after walking in the wrong direction and then finally found the Holiday Inn. Corona Protocol in France is such that you must wear a mask walking around in public spaces like hotels, cafes, museums, restaurants etc. We were allowed to check in 45 mins without any extra cost; I assume there are far less guests and less for cleaners to do, so it's good for us having less people around, but not so good for business at this time. What I found amusing is that the receptionist had been unable to work out which one of my three names was my surname - well here's a clue - it's not Daniel and it's not Leon; both common first names in France.

After checking in, we had some time left over for a bit of sight-seeing; first up was Reims Cathedral (1211), the first of two UNESCO world heritage sites which has its own 15th century wooden anatomical clock, statue of Joan of Arc in full armour, and unbeknownst to me, was that there is a grander statue of her in Place du Purvis. Luckily, the extensive restorations due to the terrible damage it suffered during WWII, has made the history books. The second is the Basilique St Remi (mid 11th century), which we both preferred as it was more intimate and unusual, it felt less austere and, we felt, had more character. We were impressed by the tombs (including of St Remi). We had a refreshing breather in the shade at a on-distinct park and made our way back tot he main square, where we had a tasty beverage at '3 Brasseurs' before dining at a place a few establishments away (a coincidence), called L'Apostrophe. We had chosen it on account of the traditional food on offer. Much to our annoyance, we were not allowed to eat at the time we were ready to eat, but had to wait until 7pm - when French restaurants nationwide tend to open. We were hungry after having got up at 6 am, lunch at 12, and we now had to wait a whole hour for our supper. Then, we discovered that many places don't give out menu's and use a different system involving scanning a bar code, but we didn't get on with it so I had to ask a waiter myself - and, although he was reluctant, he succumbed. Eventually, we both had a delicious duck dish, which was covered in a raisin-Armagnac sweet sauce and accompanied by potatoes.

28-7

We woke up at 7 and brekky was at 7.30; we'd told the good old receptionist yesterday what time we'd be breakfasting; presumably to ensure that not too many people come at the same time (for obvious reasons). There were no eggs, which is rather odd; we couldn't understand the logic behind not offering hard boiled eggs, for example even during the Corona Crisis. It's true that the hotel has a disclaimer on the print out for the booking confirmation about how there's only a limited service available, i.e. the kitchen and cleaning.

We had a tour to catch at 9.45, but first took a few pics near the cathedral such as the Joan of Arc statue we'd seen. Next, was the Palce du Tau (1671-1710), which was formerly an archbishop's residence and boasts top class tapestries, a chalice that wouldn't look out of place in an Indiana Jones film, a relic of Charlemagne though it's not clear which part of him is on display (probably better that way), and, of course, some bread made of gold. Afterwards, we mosied on down to the Biblotheque Carnegie (1928), which has 1920's mosaics and is quite simply a classy joint. On to lunch : Brasserie Boulingrin, which is opposite the market, which is currently closed.

serves up French cuisine and we sampled their excellent fish salads (that come as mains). I washed mine down with a carafe of white wine. Then, we ventured further as the art deco tour took shape (we'd secured a copy of the walking map from the tourist office and were all set). There were such gems as the Cine Opera (1923), which looked rather dilapidated, due to neglect, which was sad to see,. Nonetheless, what has remained remains exquisite. The Palace of Justice (13-19th century), an arcade and numerous other architectural wonders kept us entertained. The Taittinger Champagne tour was booked for 3.30 (though was actually at 3.45) and we'd arrived a bit early, used their facilities and then we were given an educations in the history, processes used and more in great technical detail (rather too much at times) , and, at the very end, the tasting, which couldn't come soon enough. We enjoyed the Champers and

dinner was at an Indian restaurant a few doors away from last night's dinner place.