Once upon a time...

We were in France. It seems ever so long ago now, but there are still photos to be posted from that time, so here we are!

We took a little trip to the Champagne region, for what I hope are glaringly obvious reasons. Here are a few glimpses:

This is Reims Cathedral. Gigantic, amazing, ever so cool. Note the awe with which we are regarding the structure. 

Cloé and Mark, our gracious host in Champagne. He is Gabriel's father, and an extremely nice and knowledgeable fellow. Gabriel is my sister's boyfriend, for those of you keeping track. 

This is where we didn't go for a tour and tasting: Veuve Cliquot, one of my all time favourite champagnes. The place was pretty snotty though, so we went to Pommery instead, which is just as prestigious and delicious a champagnery, and has the additional coolness of having modern art exhibitions inside the tunnels - 30 feet underground!!

The tour of the tunnels under Pommery. The owner in the 1800's, Louise Pommery, was a big fan of 'modern' art, and she was the one who started exhibiting local and famous artists in the tunnels and tasting rooms. The tradition has continued, and the exhibitions change every year or so - it was very cool! 

This is the staircase leading down the 30 or so feet into the champagne tunnels. They have been there for hundreds of years, and are so extensive it would be extremely easy to get lost down there. 

This has been a dream of mine for so long! I'm certain I got my first taste (figurative only, unless I know my mother) at the age of 3 when mum took Cloé (aged 11 at that time) and I into these very same tunnels for the first time. 

This is one of the art installations. One of the corridors we walked through is full of electric guitars hanging flat (strings up) from the cieling and amplifiers, and little tiny Australian birds! They would land on the guitar strings and make cute little strumming sounds through the amps, it was very cool. 

Champagne getting some beauty rest. Each bottle sleeps for two years or so before going to the final stages of preparation. 

Walking through the tunnels.

This was the vintage room. These bottles were from special vintages, and will never be opened, largely due to the fact that champagne doesn't improve with age after the yeast has been extracted (which happens just prior to final corking), so these would likely taste as old as they look. 

Some of them are from the 1800's, during Louise Pommery's time. She was the inventor of Brut, which has now become THE true champagne, so these would be some of the first Brut ever made! 

Brut is a 50/50 blend of pinot noir and chardonnay grapes, and has a very low sugar content, resulting in a dry champagne that is pure beauty and ascension in a glass - before Brut, champagnes were much higher in sugar and quite sweet. 

For this she is one of my personal heros - thank you Louise!!

It's time. 

Woop woop!

AND, they have a round ping pong table!! This is the best place ever, seriously. 

Art on the lawn at Pommery. Yes, those are real shopping trolleys. 

Driving through Champagne. This is a small champagnery that was closed. 

Cloé at a cemetery among the young champagne vines.