Day 16: Reims

Song of the Day: Si Tu Vois Ma Mere – Sidney Bechet

This song, for me, will always be associated with the opening scene of ‘Midnight in Paris’: a series of street scenes in Paris as the city goes from sun to rain. Controversies around the director aside, I have always found that to be a beautiful opening to the film, and it captures the energy of Paris (at least as it exists in an American dreamer’s head) very well.

In the end, 2 rest days was probably too many rest days. However, it worked out well that I could have one day to sight-see and one day for proper resting and relaxing. I’ve enjoyed Reims and have made plans to return with Nathan, but I am feeling antsy to get back on the road, and am ready to get out of the city and back into smaller towns and villages.

I slept in and spend the morning hunting down some documents for my tax forms (the joys of living abroad as an American). By the time I was done with that it was after 10am and I was hungry, and headed out in search of hopefully a more substantial breakfast. However, it was not in the cards — the two places I tried only had buffet brunch options available, for 30 Euro or more. Indignant, I retreated to the Paul (yes, the chain bakery), one of the few places open on Sundays.

After a croissant and a nice chat with the German couple next to me, who were headed to Chartres to study (“Oh, the famous gothic Cathedral?” I asked. “No, the hidden history of the druids!”) I did some writing and then was off in search of lunch. I had a planche (i.e., charcuterie board) in the Place du Forum with a glass of blanc de noirs and a crème brûlée. Full and a little light-headed, I then walked 25 minutes in the head to the Saint-Remi basilica, which houses the tomb of Saint Remi (the Saint who anointed Clovis King of the Franks, making him the first Christian King of France). It was a beautiful space with a mix of Gothic and Romanesque architecture.

After getting back to my Airbnb from Saint-Remi, I napped and worked on logistics for the following days. Once the heat had subsided slightly, I headed out to a poke restaurant for dinner, hoping to have vegetables beyond a green salad, finally. Afterwards I admired the clouds at golden hour and met up with Giulia. We sat for awhile planning the next few days: we decided that tomorrow we would walk together (my first time walking a full day with anyone), and we would meet at the Cathedral at 6:30am the next day to set off. I was nervous about the heat — I struggle with heat sickness and wanted to get a jump on the day, and grateful to have a partner, especially leaving the outskirts of the city in the early morning.

A short update today as I did really spend most of the day trying to rest. My feet have not really been giving me problems recently — here’s hoping that chapter of the journey is closed for now. Until tomorrow!