Visit the birthplace of Champagne King Dom Pérignon

In the Champagne region, Champagne is the biggest industry.

Epernay and Reims are the two most important Champagne producing areas in the Champagne region. There is the famous Champagne Avenue, as well as dedicated champagne bars and a variety of top-quality champagne wines, which is eye-opening. My visit this time was just to see the birthplace of Champagne, the small town of Hautvillers on the Champagne Route.

Although it was already May, the weather was not warm that day. When I walked to the agreed place, I saw a very small old man wearing a fleece top. Waiting there, he is about 70 years old. This old man is the retired village chief of Hautvillers. In order to explain to me the history of Hautvillers, the birthplace of Champagne, and the culture of Champagne, this retired village chief served as my guide. I noticed that the old man had an English-French dictionary in his hand. As soon as the old man saw me, he immediately walked up to me and greeted me in English. I have always heard that the French are very reluctant to speak English. This English-French dictionary made me happy. My heart suddenly warmed up. The retired village chief took me to visit the town. There are about 800 households in this town. What is interesting is that a hollow iron plate is hung at the door of each house. The pattern of the iron plate symbolizes the occupation or family background of the homeowner. small logo.

Many logos have symbols such as barrels and corks. Against the backdrop of the blue sky, it has become a unique scenery in the cameras of many tourists, showing the simplicity and cuteness of the town. However, no matter what pattern the iron plate is on, it must have an inseparable relationship with champagne. Beauty is interconnected. Looking at those art-like vineyards under the blue sky and white clouds, you will understand why the top champagne Dom Perignon is produced here! When I first arrived, I was full of curiosity about everything in this town, and ran around excitedly holding my camera. To my surprise, the old man always appeared next to me at the most appropriate time and gave appropriate explanations. Unconsciously, I walked to the monastery where the father of Champagne is buried. To this day, I still clearly remember that the sacred solemnity here can only be matched by its own tranquility.

This land is surrounded by vineyard-covered hills, like an ancient Roman amphitheatre. On one side is the peak of the Côte des Blancs, and on the other side is the gently meandering Marne River. Flow through the valley. At the foot of the altar, a black marble slab covers the remains of Dom Pérignon, the father of Champagne, with his name and the life of the model inscribed in Latin. The gentle caress of the sun best explains the silence and tranquility here. When I knelt on the ground to take photos of the missionary's tombstone, the old man took out a piece of paper from his pocket and told me in English that because the tombstone was in Latin, the old man asked someone to translate it into French because he was worried about his own health. My English is not good, so I asked if I could read the words on the tombstone to me in French. I said yes loudly. I raised my head by chance and saw a beam of sunlight shining through the colored glass on the old man's face. For a moment, it was fixed in my heart.

Transportation

Railway: Starting from Paris Gare de l'Est, there are multiple express trains every day to major cities in the Champagne-Ardennes region: Paris to Reims (Reims) : About 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 45 minutes; Paris to Epernay: about 1 hour 15 minutes; Paris to Chalons-en-Champagne: about 1 hour 15 minutes; Paris to Chaumont: about 2 hours and 30 minutes; Paris to Langres: about 3 hours; Paris to Troyes: about 1 hour and 30 minutes; there are several direct trains.

Highways: The Champagne-Ardenne region is connected to a number of highways (National Highway 4, National Highway 19, National Highway 51) and highway networks. To the east is Highway 4, which runs from Paris to Strasbourg, passing through Reims, Chalons-en-Champagne and Saint-Ménéour. Highway 26 runs from Calais to Troyes, passing through Reims, Chalons-en-Champagne, Chaumont and Langres. Highway 5 connects Paris and Troyes.

Specialties

The local specialties of the Champagne-Ardenne region include the famous Troyes bratwurst, Chaource and Langres cheese, Ardenne Regional smoked hams and game dishes, as well as chicken, pike, lobster, trout and stews from the Champagne region. People here are also accustomed to making spiced honey bread using methods handed down from the 13th century. In Reims, people like to eat rose biscuits with champagne. The bubbly champagne is brewed with grapes from fine vineyards that are rarely visited by tourists. In addition, the cheese here is also worth trying.