Day26 Reims to Trepail -oooh…now we’re famous!

All rest days must come to and end.

So we packed up our bags, took a few parting shots of the Reims Cathedral and hit a grocery store on our way out of Reims.

An honest moment

We immediately came to the Ainse/Marne canal full of dog walkers, joggers, and bikers. Well, the path adjacent to it was full of them..not the canal itself.

The canal was mostly void of anything more than a few fishermen, but we did see a working grain barge and two pleasure crafts as well.

Walking along a canal is pretty for the first few miles but then it becomes a bit monotonous. The path is level and mostly straight and, at least it was shaded. The weather was quite warm today so we were happy for the shade as long as it lasted.

At Sillery we diverged off the canal and headed into the direct sun and away from shade. The path directed us into the heart of the Champagne vineyards. These are absolutely huge and their expanse is awe inspiring. I guess when you have to supply the whole world with bubbly, you need a lot of grapes.

The trail climbed into the Montagne de Reims becoming a stiff climb in the hot sun at times. The major climb ends at the windmill of the Mumm Estate known as Moulin. From this point on you are in the boutique champagne region, an area of small independent champagne vintners hidden around in pockets of small villages. One day when I have time I’d like to visit the area again.

We stopped in Verzy for our lunch of tuna salad and avocado sandwiches and chips and then stopped in at one of those boutique vintners for a taste. The owner Jean Paul Morel offered us each a glass as a gift to pilgrims. How could we refuse?

There used to be a railway running along the Verzy Forrest between these small villages. They form a crescent shape of primarily east-facing vineyards. The railway, long since dismantled, provided a welcome shaded walkway that was also relatively level and broad. Other than the bothersome mosquitoes (a result of all the recent rain), it was a perfect end to our day.

We arrived at our host’s house in the small village of Trepail. The entire evening was completely in French. I’m happy to report that despite undoubtedly horrendous grammar, we had a good multi-hour conversation exclusively in French. It was fun,…tiring, but fun.

Our host is Mme Jacqueminet . She has a family label of her own and a glass of champagne was our first course for dinner tonight. After a pate we were treated to fresh garden vegetables and a veal and tomato main course. After this was a local goat cheese course that was very creamy and had a mild blue cheese flavor. Allison is no fan of either goat cheese or blue cheese, but I was in food heaven.

Tomorrow is our last day in this area. The department doesn’t change but the landscape does. We will be going through a desert – not a sand desert, but a village, food, and water desert. This will be a physical and mental challenge. We appreciate your prayers and well wishes for the next 5 days as we make our way through.

P.S. Oh…and by the way, an Italian online magazine has picked up our story…so now we’re famous! Link below.

https://www.viaggiareconlentezza.com/2021/08/11/insieme-a-piedi-sulla-via-francigena/