Champagne - September 2013

Champagne is an interesting word. It conjures up many different emotions and thoughts in one's mind. The sparking wine associated with weddings, promotions, New Year's Eve, and many other celebrations is probably the first thing that pops up - pun intended! Champagne is a region in France that produces Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay grapes blended and fermented to make the regionally protected Champagne wine.

To get to Reims, France - one of the major cities in the Champagne region - we took the TGV. This high-speed train is very cool, although the ticket machines only work if your credit card has a microchip. I learned this the hard way and missed the morning train. Nevertheless, we caught the next one and zoomed across the French countryside at 200 MPH. It was smooth and quiet. I cannot wait until the California high-speed rail system is built. I may be on the first ride.

Since time was limited, we visited only Tattinger. There are several well known houses in Reims - Tattinger, Mumm, Veuve Cliquot - each with underground caves originally mined by the Romans in the 4th century for chalk used in paving roads. The tour explained the history of Champagne started by the monks and priests and perfected over the years to create a special wine. A brief tasting was included at the end.

Anyone familiar with California wineries will be somewhat disappointed. Fellow visitors recommended renting a car and driving around to the smaller local wineries for a more intimate and fun experience actually in the vineyards. Tours and designated drivers are mandatory since drunk driving laws and penalties are much harsher in Europe. Maybe next time.

I took a video of the TGV ride back which is a cool way to describe the train. I bought a small bottle of Champagne to drink on the ride back and created quite a loud pop when I opened the bottle in such a small place. Even though Champagne has a reputation for celebrations, it is a great anytime wine and pairs well with many foods. Plus, the sparking bubbles make any place a celebration! Enjoy the rest of my sparking photos below.

Normandy / Omaha Beach - September 2013

One of the more special parts of my trip to France was traveling to the Normandy region to see the D-Day Invasion sites and memorials. We took a tour group through LinkParis.com which was very well done. The company picked us up at the train station and drove us to the war museum and several battle sights. It was a moving experience, especially since the Normandy region is very beautiful and relaxing. Imagining a massive battle here is quite a task.

The first stop was the Caen War Memorial Museum which was one of the better museums depicting World War II and the history and aftermath of the war. There are several memorial gardens surrounding the museum, and our guide gave a private tour of the exhibits. They also served a tasty lunch with wine and dessert. Then we headed into vans to drive around.

Our second stop was Point du Hoc where Army Rangers scaled a beach wall to attack a key German installation. The German Army stationed many weaker soldiers along the Normandy defenses which dramatically helped our skilled forces in their attack. The area still has massive craters from offshore artillery. A memorial to the rangers stands at the site.

The next stop was Omaha Beach. The beaches were given random names with unique first letters and simple to pronounce names. One story has the commander asking two soldiers setting up the room where they were from - Utah and Nebraska. Utah Beach was used, but he chose Omaha instead of Nebraska. Omaha Beach was the only true beach and is very wide. Standing on the beach at low tide with similar conditions to the invasion day was a moving experience. This was an important battle that changed the tide of the war and probably saved the United States from invasion.

In case you don't cry at Omaha Beach, seeing the American cemetery will probably do it. This iconic location is right on the coast near Colleville-sur-Mer and is American soil. The families of the soldiers were given a choice to bury the dead in France or back home. Only about 40% chose burial in France with almost 10,000 buried in the cemetery. The crosses with gold lettering indicate a Medal of Honor recipient. Stars of David are used for Jewish soldiers. We arrived shortly before the lowering of the United States flags and experienced the playing of Taps which is something I will remember for a long time.

We had a quick stop at Longues-sur-Mer to view some massive German gun batteries still standing. The Allied forces initial air attack was slightly off due to concerns of friendly fire under low visibility. Because of this, many of the coastal batteries were not destroyed. The initial wave suffered about 10% casualties, but this was actually much better than initially predicted. The Allies were very lucky that day and did an awesome job.

The final stop was the artificial harbor at Arromanches. The invasion force needed a harbor to assist in delivering soldiers and supplies to mainland Europe. Nearby harbors were heavily defended, so we just made our own in about a week. The volume of traffic matched that of the Port of New York within a few days of invasion. Our tour guide also told us about the oil pipeline installed by Allied forces to pump gasoline and diesel to France. His great grandfather was so excited to see gasoline in the town that he "borrowed" some to run his car after four long years of occupation!

The trip was very long including a two hour train ride to and from the region, but it was an amazing experience to see the history books come alive. I highly recommend the tour if you are ever in France. Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below.

Versailles - September 2013

Near Paris lies Versailles, one of the most impressive royal palaces in Europe. The palace is on the RER train line only about 45 min from downtown and well worth the trip. The French royal family made this their home until a minor disagreement with the population forced the removal of the family from power and the removal of their heads from their bodies - aka the French Revolution.

Unfortunately, the palace buildings are closed on Monday like many things in France. We were able to access the gardens and even rented an electric golf cart to drive a fixed route through the gardens. An audio tour also highlighted the features. It is still amazing that the palace is well maintained including impressive rows of trees all manicured to the exact height and width. The French hated their king, but apparently were fine with the palace. It must be sweet revenge to have the commoners now hiking around the royal grounds.

The gardens also have large water features that are very popular with the locals. Boats can be rented or just relaxing by the water. Notice how the rows of trees are all in perfect alignment.

Also in Versailles is a gothic style cathedral open to the public. The cathedrals of Europe are very impressive and have lots of neat stained glass and carved wood. The above picture captured the afternoon light passing through the glass casting colored light on the chapel.

Rest assured that the interior of Versailles is even more impressive, just make sure to avoid Mondays! Enjoy the rest of the pictures below.