Stephen Ellenso

Hello,

My wife and I are becoming frequent travelers to Europe thanks to the great advice
from members of this newsgroup. I'd like to ask for your advice one more time please.

We are American and are in our mid-forties. We like art galleries, museums, sitting
in cafes watching the world pass by, and anything to do with history. We will be
taking two weeks in October and are thinking of flying into Paris, staying a few days
in Paris then taking a train to Reims for a few days then on to Brugge for a few
days, finally returning to Paris for the flight back. We've been to Paris several
times but not Reims or Brugge. My questions are;

Is Paris a good base for this itinerary or would Amsterdam be better?
Ams-Brugge-Reims-Ams.

In Reims, is it possible to visit WWI sites and the champagne country using public
transportation?

In France, we normally stay in 3 star hotels. Do you have any reccommendations for
hotels in Reims and/or Brugge?

What were the high points of your visits to Reims/Brugge that you would like to
share?

Many thanks for any and all responses.

Ed Krol

A couple of notes on Reims. There are trains just about hourly from Paris, so it is
an easy day or couple of day trip. Generally the Champagne caves are easily
accessable in town (long walks or short cab rides (I think there are buses as well)).
We walked out and cab'ed back to the train.

If you wanted to splurge stay and eat at Les Crayeres http://www.gerardboyer.com/

we didn't stay there but after lunch we were so tipsy (lunch came with a bottle of
champagne and half a bottle of bordeaux - after a morning of tasting champagne) we
wished we had.

Le GéNéRal Boum

Stephen Ellenson <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message :
[email protected]...

/.../
    > We are American and are in our mid-forties. We like art galleries,
museums,
    > sitting in cafes watching the world pass by, and anything to do with history. We
    > will be taking two weeks in October and are thinking of flying into Paris, staying
    > a few days in Paris then taking a train to Reims for a few days then on to Brugge
    > for a few days, finally returning to Paris for the flight back. We've been to Paris
    > several times but not Reims or
Brugge.

If I may ask, why Brugge and Reims ?

    > My questions are; Is Paris a good base for this itinerary or would Amsterdam be
    > better? Ams-Brugge-Reims-Ams.

If you've never been to Amsterdam it would be an opportunity, but I think Paris is
the better base if you intend to see both Reims and Brugge (if you use public
transportation, the shortest way between Reims and Amsterdam is by Paris anyway).

I'd say you have two options: -Paris > Reims > Paris > Brugge > Paris (or Brugge
first). But maybe 2 weeks shall be too long if you don't visit anything else...
-Paris > Reims > Laon (old city and cathedral on the top of a hill) > Saint-Quentin
(beautiful cathedral) > Lille (a modern city, nice museum and a few old streets) >
Bruxelles > Brugge (by train). You could have a stop in Laon, Lille or Bruxelles.

    > In Reims, is it possible to visit WWI sites and the champagne country
using
    > public transportation?

Which WWI sites do you want to visit ? Reims itself is a WWI site in a way. Between
Reims, Laon and Soissons, there is the "chemin des dames". Very impressive (and
beautiful) landscape but I don't know if it is acessible by public transportation.
"Champagne country"... do you mean the vineyard ?

    > What were the high points of your visits to Reims/Brugge that you would
like
    > to share?

In Reims, the cathedral (and its museum), Saint-Remi, etc... The city was badly
damaged during WW1 but it is pleasant. In Brugge, the old city as a whole.

Hope it helps (and hope my english is understandable)

JPh

Kll1529

    >"Champagne country"... do you mean the vineyard ?

Hi, I'm not the original poster but I'm curious at this statement. Is there only one
vineyard in Riems? I was thinking there were several amd that they all produced
champagne. Am I wrong? If there are several what are the names of the vineyards?
Thanks for any help! Kathy

Bscschmidt

    > I'm not the original poster but I'm curious at this statement. Is there only one
    > vineyard in Riems? I was thinking there were several amd that they all produced
    > champagne. Am I wrong? If there are several what are the names of the vineyards?
    > Thanks for any help! Kathy

I went in the tourist office in Epernay (where I came thru first before Reims) and
they had a map with a lot of champagne caves - you can visit several caves but not
the vineyards - they're simply there in the landscape.

Personally I visited Pommery in Reims (within sight of the cathedral about half a
mile away) cause I love their champagne.. just my taste! The guided tour was good but
you have to pay for it and it goes deep down into the cave (about 150 steps down und
up again the same), so not the best if you got some problems in walking.

Baerbel.

Oughtfour

"Stephen Ellenson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]... [snip]

    >We will be taking two weeks in October and are thinking of flying into Paris,
    >staying a few days in Paris then taking a train to Reims for a few days then on to
    >Brugge for a few days, finally returning to Paris for the flight back

[snip]
    >
    > Is Paris a good base for this itinerary or would Amsterdam be better?
    > Ams-Brugge-Reims-Ams.

Are you really indifferent to Paris vs. Amsterdam? They are so different.

I'd make my decision based on which one really appealed the most.

Or do both, flying into one and out of the other. E.g. Par-Reims-Brugge-Ams.

In any case, I suggest that you *not* schedule an extra travel day to return to Paris
just to catch a flight. There are international airports in Amsterdam and Brussels.

[Snip]

    > What were the high points of your visits to Reims/Brugge that you would
like
    > to share?

This might not be for you, but I really enjoyed riding north of Brugge along the
canal on a rented bicycle. It is perfectly flat. I got a break from the crowds and
saw some of the countryside, all strange and wonderful to my eyes.

Have a great trip.

Tubize

We visited Paris for a couple of days and then drove to Reims for a weekend a few years ago. The visit is written up on our website for expatriates living in Belgium which you will find at http://www.expatriate-online.com/tra...ims/index.cfm.

I am not so sure about the WWI history, though. We are taking a one day excursion to Verdun (not far from Reims) in May and will probably write that trip up as well. I think Verdun is much more interesting as a WWI destination.

You will also find a writeup on Brugge on our site at http://www.expatriate-online.com/tra...ges/intro.cfm. It is well worth a visit and you can definitely see the whole city on foot.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Bon voyage.

John Pollard

Stephen Ellenso

"le général Boum" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    >
    > Stephen Ellenson <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message :
    > [email protected]...
    >
    > /.../
    > > We are American and are in our mid-forties. We like art galleries,
    > museums,
    > > sitting in cafes watching the world pass by, and anything to do with history. We
    > > will be taking two weeks in October and are thinking of
flying
    > > into Paris, staying a few days in Paris then taking a train to Reims for
a
    > > few days then on to Brugge for a few days, finally returning to Paris
for
    > > the flight back. We've been to Paris several times but not Reims or
    > Brugge.
    >
    > If I may ask, why Brugge and Reims ?

Well, Reims because I've read about it since I was young and reading about "the great
war" makes me curious about the history of the region. Brugge, because I've been told
by many others that it is beautiful and it is not to be missed.

    >
    > > My questions are; Is Paris a good base for this itinerary or would Amsterdam be
    > > better? Ams-Brugge-Reims-Ams.
    >
    > If you've never been to Amsterdam it would be an opportunity, but I think Paris is
    > the better base if you intend to see both Reims and Brugge (if
you
    > use public transportation, the shortest way between Reims and Amsterdam is by Paris
    > anyway).

I've been to Amsterdam and it is a wonderful city. It seems that Paris may be a
better base.

    > I'd say you have two options: -Paris > Reims > Paris > Brugge > Paris (or Brugge
    > first). But maybe 2
weeks
    > shall be too long if you don't visit anything else... -Paris > Reims > Laon (old
    > city and cathedral on the top of a hill) > Saint-Quentin (beautiful cathedral) >
    > Lille (a modern city, nice museum
and
    > a few old streets) > Bruxelles > Brugge (by train). You could have a stop
in
    > Laon, Lille or Bruxelles.
    >
    > > In Reims, is it possible to visit WWI sites and the champagne country
    > using
    > > public transportation?
    >
    > Which WWI sites do you want to visit ? Reims itself is a WWI site in a
way.
    > Between Reims, Laon and Soissons, there is the "chemin des dames". Very impressive
    > (and beautiful) landscape but I don't know if it is acessible
by
    > public transportation. "Champagne country"... do you mean the vineyard ?
    >

Yes, sorry for the lack of my vocabulary. I do mean the vineyard. Is it accessible
via taxis or buses?

    >
    > > What were the high points of your visits to Reims/Brugge that you would
    > like
    > > to share?
    >
    > In Reims, the cathedral (and its museum), Saint-Remi, etc... The city was badly
    > damaged during WW1 but it is pleasant. In Brugge, the old city as a whole.
    >
    > Hope it helps (and hope my english is understandable)
    >
    > JPh

Your english is very understandable (perhaps more than my english) and I thank you
for your reply very much.

Dave Smith

Stephen Ellenson wrote:

    > My wife and I are becoming frequent travelers to Europe thanks to the great
    > advice from members of this newsgroup. I'd like to ask for your advice one more
    > time please.
    >
    > We are American and are in our mid-forties. We like art galleries, museums, sitting
    > in cafes watching the world pass by, and anything to do with history. We will be
    > taking two weeks in October and are thinking of flying into Paris, staying a few
    > days in Paris then taking a train to Reims for a few days then on to Brugge for a
    > few days, finally returning to Paris for the flight back. We've been to Paris
    > several times but not Reims or Brugge. My questions are;
    >
    > Is Paris a good base for this itinerary or would Amsterdam be better?
    > Ams-Brugge-Reims-Ams.
    >
    > In Reims, is it possible to visit WWI sites and the champagne country using public
    > transportation?
    >
    > In France, we normally stay in 3 star hotels. Do you have any reccommendations for
    > hotels in Reims and/or Brugge?
    >
    > What were the high points of your visits to Reims/Brugge that you would like
    > to share?
    >

I was in Reims last May, and I really enjoyed it. The countryside is beautiful, and
there are wine tours available. There are even champagne tours within the city. The
Maxims champagne winery is right there, but there are also tours to the outlying
vineyards. I am not sure about the battle site tours, but I am sure there would be
some. The city was very heavily bombarded during WW I and the battle lines are just
north of the it.

And if you are interested in WW I battle sites you should also consider Verdun where
there are terrific battle sites and museums. The Argonne was an area in which the
Americans were heavily involved. The American cemetery near Varennes is incredible.
You might consider renting a car and touring along the WW I battle lines from Belgium
into France.

We ended up doing that on our trip last May. We had visited Brugges and went on to
Ypres, which was the scene of a lot of heavy fighting. From there we drove to Vimy
Ridge, then on Reims and Verdun. Having the freedom and mobility of a car rental, we
were free to explore the country and loved every minute. I can assure you that you
will be impressed by the grave sites, memorials and museums.

We really enjoyed Reims. It is almost as nice as Paris, but hotel and restaurant
prices are a fraction of the big city. We paid one third as much for a suite in Reims
as it cost us for a small hotel room in Paris, and three course meals were under
100FF. The cathedral is quite interesting.

Dave Smith

Kll1529 wrote:

    > I'm not the original poster but I'm curious at this statement. Is there only one
    > vineyard in Riems? I was thinking there were several amd that they all produced
    > champagne. Am I wrong? If there are several what are the names of the vineyards?
    > Thanks for any help!

There are lots of vineyards in the Champagne region. Reims is right in the heart of
the region and is home to great champagne wineries.

Le GéNéRal Boum

Kll1529 <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message :
[email protected]...

    > I'm not the original poster but I'm curious at this statement. Is there only one
    > vineyard in Riems? I was thinking there were several amd that
they
    > all produced champagne. Am I wrong? If there are several what are the
names
    > of the vineyards? Thanks for any help!

Well, it seems that the english word "vineyard" and the french one "vignoble" are
not exactly synonymous. "vignoble" doesn't only mean "area with vine" but also "the
vine of a region as a whole". I was all the more prone to write "the vineyard" as
in Champagne the several vineyards are used to produce the same wine (very
different from Burgondy, Bordeaux.... which have different wines according to the
different soils.)

In Champagne, we could make distinctions between "montagne de Reims" (a few km south
of Reims), "Vallée de la Marne" (around Epernay) "Côte des blancs" (south of
Epernay), and many little vineyard (around Château-Thierry or Bar-sur-Aube). I don't
think they are of equal quality but in the end they are "mixed" by the winery. By
the way, they also mix grapes of different years. So, on the bottle , there is
mention neither of the year, nor from the specific vineyard.

JPh

Le GéNéRal Boum

Stephen Ellenson <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message :
[email protected]...

    >
    > Well, Reims because I've read about it since I was young and reading about "the
    > great war" makes me curious about the history of the region.

In that case, you might consider visiting Verdun, as other suggested. But it seems
there is no direct train between Reims and Verdun (I mean, you have to change train).

/.../
    > Yes, sorry for the lack of my vocabulary. I do mean the vineyard. Is it accessible
    > via taxis or buses?

the "montagne de Reims" is quite close to the city. I guess there are busses but I am
not quite sure. There is a railway station at "Rilly-la-montagne" (ten minutes from
Reims, 2 euros) I am not sure it is what you are looking for, but there is a
helicopter-transportation company which makes tours over Reims region
http://www.heli-champagne.com/

By the way, the vineyard(s) should be be beautiful in october. Maybe you'll find
information there : http://www.tourisme.fr/reims/ http://www.ville-reims.com/

    > Your english is very understandable (perhaps more than my english) and I thank you
    > for your reply very much.
    >

Don't hesitate to tell me (by e-mail) when I make mistakes. I will improve my english
and it will be a lesser pain to read me.

JPh