Travel around the world: Western Europe Trip

View from the Urbain II statue - Chatillon sur Marne

The day starts with us eating a relatively sparse breakfast in the castle's dining room. While the breakfast is good it is only croissants with jam and coffee and tea. On the way to it and back we have time to admire the entrance to our room which is really imposing with a stairway almost ripped from a romantic movie.


Breakfast served luxuriously but limited	Beautiful decorations


Stair to our room	View from the stairs

The hallway in front of our rooms is decorated nicely and we can walk through a few more common castle rooms with photos, swords and the like.


Hallway inside the castle	Another hallway view


Looks cozy	Castle room

As we arrived late at night and didn't have time to see the surroundings of the castle we decide to take a tour of the area. We have viewed the castle from the back side and it looks castle like but when we go the front area it looks less like a castle and more like a big mansion. As we explore we are also explored in turn by the little dogs of the castle owners which were quite friendly and happy to see the visitors.


Castle from the back	Castle from the front


What do they want??	Posing is their business

Our exploration continues with the garage which has the requisite old car in it and to the garden. The hotel has a restaurant that is using homegrown vegetables and we find the vegetable garden very quick as we walk through the garden. The gardens are well maintained and there are two areas separated by stairs so we decide to go down and see the second area.


Old car in the garage	Vegetable garden for the kitchen


Garden view	Flowers are everywhere

Right at the bottom of the stairs is a small pond with a few fish and further away we find a bigger pond with a few ducks. But the highlight is the beautiful well maintained garden with lots of color.


Beautiful looking garden	Chapel in the back


Pond with fish	Well maintained garden

We decide to also walk along the wall of the castle to check the River Marne and the small village in which the castle is located. From the outside you almost wouldn't guess that the castle is behind the walls except for the pinkish tower that we noticed also from the inside. There is also a back entrance to the castle that doesn't seem to have been used for ages that leads directly to the Marne River.


Back entrance	Chapel from across the chateau wall


Trail near the chateau on the banks of La Marne	La Marne - quite large near the chateau

After walking on the banks of the river and marveling at its size we continue through the small village where the houses seem to come from a medieval fairytale. And then we have to start our trip through the champagne producing area of France to reach its center, Epernay.


View of the other side	Rolling hills in the distance


Village near the castle	Traditional house in the village

The road is scenic and rustic and leads through groves of cherry trees, rows and rows of grapes for the champagne as well as meadows of poppies as it winds through the fertile Champagne area.


Cherries can be found near the road	But vineyards are more common


There were fields of poppies	Other flowers were also abundant

We also see quite a few cornfields but the poppies are what impress us most. The road also leads through villages and in some places it is so narrow that you have to wonder what would happen if you meet another car or even worse one of the grape collecting machines that we see frequently in the area.


Corn is also grown	Poppies in grain field


Wonder what will happen if I meet another car?	Grape fields machinery

As we drive through the countryside we notice an interesting building and next to it is a plaque explaining that it is a mill that inspired one of La Fontaine fables which is quite interesting. Each village is interesting an old church there, a cluster of old buildings here which almost invite us to stop and take pictures of them.


Following the trail of LaFontaine fables	The mill from one of the fables


Another scene from the fables	Old church in a countryside village

The first major stop of our tour is Dormans a nice little town halfway to Epernay. We start with the chateau which has a nice garden and an even more interesting weather station. The chateau holds the visitor center for Dormans so we enter it and take a few brochures of the area to plan our next steps.


Chateau of Dormans Park	Interesting meteorological station


Dormans Chateau	In front of the chateau

The downtown area is also interesting with small corner groceries and restaurants scattered among the many shops on the main street. We target a few restaurants for a possible dinner when we head back to our castle accomodation.


Small corner grocery	Lots of fresh fruit


Dormans church	Main street in Dormans


View of Dormans	Restaurant terrace

The next stop is in the charming village of Chattillon sur Marne which attracts us with its huge statue on top of a hill. However we notice that we cannot drive right to it so we park in the middle of the village and then walk up the hill towards the statue. On the way we are distracted by an old church which is really interesting to explore and looks more authentic than many of the more well known cathedrals we have seen.


Chatillon sur Marne Church Front	Entrance to the church


No one inside in this beautiful church	Side altar

We continue up through the almost deserted streets and soon arrive at the statue. We have already found out that it is the statue of Urbain II, a medieval pope coming from the area, who is the most well known person born in the village as the well staffed village visitor center lets us know.


Nothing is open at midday	Going up to the Urbain II park


Papal emblem	Statue visible from miles around

The view from the top is great as you can see across the Marne Valley the multitude of rustic villages all of them making a living out of champagne making (and tourism).


View from near the statue	Distant view


Ruined castle wall near the statue	Another church visible from the top

Being in the area we have to visit a champagne house and we decide on one in Epernay in the center of the champagne region, the well known Mercier champagne house. It is easy to visit with a nice modern visitor center and even some champagne grape fields nearby.


Epernay - Mercier Champagne House	Modern visitor center


Sample fields of champagne grapes	Popular photo location

The visit starts with a view of the giant barrel that was exhibited at the Paris World Exhibition in the 19th century to be upstaged only by the Eiffel Tower. After this the tour starts in earnest with a descent into the cellars with an audiovisual spectacle as you descend showing the history of champagne in the area. The cellars are full off...champagne bottles of course.


Major attraction besides the Eiffel Tower at the World Fair	It is huge and richly decorated


Champagne bottles in the cellars	Close up of bottles

One of the reasons we chose this tour is that the visit of the cellars is made via an automatically guided train - quite interesting and convenient. It goes through cellars following a wire and we marvel at the size of the cellars which stretch for miles all around us.


Lots and lots of bottles	Looks like a secret room behind them


Train that took us on the tour	The line at the top was controlling the train

Another interesting sight in the cellars are the statues spread around at different intersections and locations. All of them have supposedly something to do with wine history and they break up the monotony of the ride.


This area looks more finished	Lots of people on the train


Artwork lost in the underground tunnels	Fresco showing the history of champagne making

At the end of the tour we have the opportunity to taste from the champagne and if wanted to buy some but we decide to buy from a nearby supermarket a cheaper version instead.


Sometimes the corridors appear empty	Sometimes they are full of champagne cases


Testing the champagne at the end	Different bottle sizes


One of the churches in Epernay	Interesting entrance to a park

After the visit we drive to the downtown area of Epernay and walk around, it is somehow less impressive than the smaller villages but it still has a lot of attractions including the Rue the Champagne with a lot of different champagne houses.


Epernay City Hall	Champagne Moet and Chandon


Window food shopping in Epernay	Lots of meat

All this walking has made us hungry and because we cannot find a restaurant open in Epernay in the afternoon we return to Dormans and find an open restaurant where we eat typical French food like escargot, andouille and crepes on a nice outdoor terrace. We are really tired after the long day so we fall asleep almost immediately after returning to our hotel - the next day is unfortunately our last day in France and we still have quite a bit that we intend to visit and see.