Day 15: Reims

Song of the Day: Bigmouth Strikes Again — The Smiths

To be clear, this is a tongue in cheek song choice. After all, Joan of Arc plays an important role in the city of Reims, and there is a chapel dedicated to her in the Cathedral…really, I don’t “know how Joan of Arc felt…”

Today was my first of two rest days in Reims, and I was grateful for the time off. I had planned to spend one day doing touristy things in Reims and the second doing administrative things. My plan was for today to be the touristy day.

I slept in (this was a rest day, after all), the hot hotel room and the many glasses of champagne finally getting to me. I half-packed ahead of check out and at about 9am went back to the Cathedral. I didn’t speak as much about it in yesterday’s post, because when I arrived it was hot and crowded, and the Cathedral was full of tour groups. I decided to come back to give it a proper visit when it would be less overwhelming. At 9am, there were only a handful of other visitors, and it was incredibly peaceful.

The Cathedral is huge, and so impressive. Much of the stained glass in the nave has been lost over the years, but the choir is still lit by stained glass (both modern and medieval). It is here in the choir that you can experience firsthand the quality of light that the church was intended to have. I had a history of architecture professor once describe the difference between schools of Christian architecture as follows: some architects (primarily in the South and East) sought to capture holy light through glimmer (i.e., through the reflection of gold mosaics); others (in the North / West) sought to capture holy light through filtering (i.e., light passing through stained glass windows). Reims Cathedral is a stunning example of the latter (for the former, go to Basilica di Santa Maria di Trastevere in Rome).

The choir has two interesting sets of stained glass: the first covers 3 chapels developed in the last 15 years by an artist named Imi Knoebel. His compositions are abstract, but reference the shades of red, blue, and yellow used in the medieval windows. One of these chapels is the chapel of Joan of Arc, who famously brought Charles VII to Reims to be crowned. The other set of stained glass worth spending time on is the one created by Chagall, which capture a fluidity and movement that is surprising given the medium. Chagall also recreated medieval techniques, and in particular focused on using historical methods to develop the blue that dominates his windows.

Outside of the choir in one of the transepts there is another modern set of stained glass windows, these made in 1954, that celebrate the Champagne industry: showing the grape growers, the harvest, and the winemakers. This window more closely follows the medieval style, and it would be easy to mistake it for one of the originals if you weren’t looking closely!

After the Cathedral I went back to check out of my hotel and leave my pack at reception, and headed back out in search of lunch. I found myself heading back toward Les Halles, which this time were much livelier and full of vendors. I sampled a few different saucisson and then paused in front of a wine distributor’s table. I ended up chatting with a man named Kevin, from Montreal, who moved to Reims 6 years ago and works for a medical technology startup. Over a glass of champagne we talked about the differences between living in Canada/US versus in France/Italy, and I learned more about his life in Reims.

Afterwards, I meandered into the champagne bar “Tresors de Champagne.” I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the experience. It turns out the bar is run by an organization of winemakers who make grower champagnes. The shop has a large map of champagne on the floor, with numbers corresponding to the location of each grower. The ceiling is covered in champagne-bottle lamps, some of which pull down to offer more information on growers. You can buy by the bottle, by the glass, or have a flight of 2 or 3 wines.

I opted for a head-to-head comparison of two wines: Dumenil’s Les Pecherines, a non-vintage champagne from old vines, comprised of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir; and Gaston Chiquet’s “Special Club” Vintage 2015 champagne, which is 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir. The first was from near Reims and the second from near Epernay, and it was an interesting opportunity to compare the two wines given the composition was similar. That said, they were quite different wines. The first had strong aromas of brioche (which I like in a champagne), and hints of lemon and green apple which I would expect. But as it drank it developed more ripe / overripe fruit flavors (raisin, in particular) that I would not have expected at all in a champagne. Despite having a lower percentage of Pinot Noir of the two, it was the rounder and fuller-bodied option. The second wine was much more integrated, and I had difficulty pulling out specific aromas and flavors. It had some aromas of grass and hay, some citrus, red apple, and a bit of nuttiness. The “Special Club” designation is only given to the best champagnes within the grower organization, as determined by multiple tasting panels. Both were delicious, but I had a slight preference for the first.

Afterwards, slightly buzzed, I wandered off in search of lunch. Unfortunately, the city is expensive, so I’ve accepted that every time I sit down I am committing to spending at least 25 euros. I hadn’t had much breakfast (just a croissant and a terrible cappuccino) so I wanted a hearty lunch, which I got: steak tartare and another molleux au chocolat at one of the places near Les Halles.

With another few hours until I could check into my Airbnb, I headed to the Museum of the Surrender: the building in Reims where Germany officially surrendered, ending WWII in Europe. The museum itself is in the same building where the surrender was signed, and the war room has been entirely preserved — it was a very interesting experience and a good use of a rainy afternoon. Afterwards, I headed to the hotel to pick up my bag, and then checked into my Airbnb and took a nap.

Giulia arrived today from St. Thierry, and we had plans to meet for an aperitivo at a wine bar near Les Halles. About 10 minutes before I needed to leave, I realized that today was Saturday….which means tomorrow was Sunday, and…I double checked and, yep, Decathlon would be closed tomorrow. Which means I really should have run my errands today. Shoot. Most of what I had hoped to get wasn’t urgent, but I did really need a new pair of shorts. My walking shorts have zippered pockets which dig into my hips under the waist straps and have left marks already. My other shorts don’t have pockets at all so are very inconvenient for walking — I wanted to replace these with a pair of running shorts I could use for walking and sleeping. Annoyed at myself for the oversight, I jogged over to North Face, the only sports store still open, and purchased a pair that will work well I hope — naturally, they were the only things in the store not on sale. Ah, well.

Afterwards I met up with Giulia and we had a great time, sampling more champagne and splitting a variety of antipasti. Her boyfriend lives very close to my former apartment in Rome, and she and her friends would often eat at Da Augusto, a classic spot for my friends and I. In fact, her boyfriend’s roommate actually made the mural in front of the restaurant, which makes him a celebrity among my group of friends. We chatted about the cast of characters in Trastevere and about Rome in general — it was nice to reminisce about the city. After a somewhat expensive aperitivo / dinner (we maybe should have realized when the waiter said there was no menu), we went our separate ways, her to meet up with Alicia (who we initially met in St. Thierry) and me to call my cousin Megan.

At 10:30, I had been told there would be a lights show at the Reims Cathedral. Not sure what to expect, I grabbed a spot on a ledge near the facade and waited. The show was about 30 minutes long, and in the end was one of the coolest things I have experienced on this journey. It was more projections rather than just colored lights, and it was meant to evoke the experience of the crowning of a King in the Cathedral. Combined with music, the facade would be intermittently lit up in a radioactive green, then look like it was burning, then would look like the whole facade was melting away. Specific statues and areas of the facade would be spot lit, giving the audience a chance to focus on and appreciate the detail, which can be overwhelming when you see it all at once. More than anything, the experience made the Cathedral seem almost like a living being, a character in its own story. It certainly deepened my appreciation for the architecture.

Now awake past my bedtime, I found Giulia and Alicia in the crowd and bade them goodnight, before heading back to my tiny Airbnb for bed, looking forward to another restful day tomorrow.