This week I was able to spend 5 days in Paris before returning back to Worcester. During this time as well as exploring the main sights of Paris I was able to attend a Paris Saint-Germain game against Nice and visit Reims and explore several Champagne producers. France has always been a relatively under explored country for me given its proximately and the abundance of cheap EasyJet flights from Bristol. This is probably in part due to it not being a cheap place to visit, this is especially true with a depressed pound (or the new normal for the pound). It was the first time I had been to Reims and the champagne region which is only 45 minutes outside of Paris by high-speed train, and it was interesting to visit the cellars and ‘experiences’ to learn more about the champagne process. During the day in Reims we visited Taittinger and GH Mumm as well as Charles de Cazanove, a smaller champagne producer. The whole day and experience was great, made more enjoyable by ample tastings. I am now able to add Reims and Cognac to my French grape based tours and tastings.
On the Friday night we attended the Parc des Princes to watch Paris Saint-Germain against Nice. It was only a short walk from our base in the Saint Cloud region of Paris. The game was a little one sided with Paris Saint German winning 3-0. But it was a good experience. Luckily Stade Français were away, or I might have spent lots of the weekend watching sport. It is now back to the UK for 11 days before heading back to Moscow.
Robin Bell 