Swanky

Gare du Nord Train Station

The bustling Paris Metro

Today we visited the picturesque French town of Epernay. This adorable, sundrenched city is nestled amongst vineyards in the Champagne Region. Somehow we managed to get 1st class tickets for the train ride over and let me tell you it was wonderful. We had plenty of room to stretch out, great big windows, and a private bathroom for our car. It was so comfortable that when I turned on the soothing sounds of a Rick Steves podcast about Notre Dame I fell right asleep. I awoke to see the rolling green hills of the Loire Valley. Not too shabby!

Dillan and Jen riding in style

We hit the streets of Epernay and quickly found an adorable Italian bistro for lunch. I had pizza and it blew my mind. This was no ordinary pizza – which by the way I have been craving for the past 4 days. It was slathered with goat cheese and gorgonzola. Amazing.

Epernay

So from there we headed the The Moet & Chandon Winery. They make champagne here people. My fave! We had a lovely tour of the cellars with an informative lesson on the art of making bubbly. We concluded the tour with a tasting (of course) and I had three, count ‘em, three glasses of free champagne. Oh and by the way, two of those glasses were pink champagne. You know how much I love that, Kristen.

The cellars at Moet & Chandon

Vineyards in the distance

The tour and the town were simple and beautiful. I think that Epernay looked and felt more like the France I was expecting to see. Paris, as nice as it is, can seem a little sinister at times and is more urban than I was expecting. A lot of my classmates have remarked that it seems a lot like New York – except of course for all the French people.

Heather and I checking out Epernay

Today was very relaxing and very indulgent. Looking forward to Pere Lachaise Cemetery tomorrow.