From Epernay to Nogent l'Artaud: The hills of Champagne

June 18, 2008

Wine grows on slopes to get the most concentrated rays of sun and the wine growers build their villages amidst their vineyards. Thus the roads leading from village to village must go up and down. My legs are getting very strong, I think. And still, it is a bit much by the end of the day. We have beautiful views over the valley of the Marne on our way and each village we pass through is home to many small champagne producers.

Many champagne producers in every village

Today in the hills of Champagne, we climb more meters than on any other day of the trip

Entry to a champagne producer's wine cellars

I thought the roses at the end of a row were for decoration. I later learn that they attract insects more readily than the vines and thus protect them.

We have much wind and by the time we reach Chateau Thierry I'm quite tired. Bad luck, there are no rooms here due to a hikers' tour staying here for the night, and the camp ground is closed. The next camping ground is in Nogent, another 15 km and a few more hills further. The weather is lovely and before we continue we stop to have a sandwich in the park on the banks of the Marne.

Encounter on the canal near Chateau-Thierry: Choose your vehicle

Chateau-Thierry is the birthplace of Jean de la Fontaine (1621 - 1695), French poet, whose celebrated fables place him among the masters of world literature

Here are the tortoise and the hare of the well-known de la Fontaine fable of the same name, a short tale of beasts behaving like men and a comment on human behavior. The moral, stated at the end of the fable: "Slow and steady wins the race."

The camp ground, on a hill overlooking the Marne Valley, is small and resembles a well cared for park. We pick out a spot for our tent on grassy turf, nice and soft for our air mattresses and our old bones.

There are five other campers here. One young Brit is working his way through France and is here to work in the vineyards. Since at this time of year there are no grapes on the vines, I wonder what work has to be done. He tells me that in June as the young vines climb they must be kept from getting tangled and this work must be done by hand.

An outgoing English camper in our age bracket comes up and introduces himself. He admires our bikes, tells us of his caravaning trips in France and introduces us to another camping couple, also Brits who are on their way to a music festival in Fontainebleau. We all agree to have dinner together. We cycle down the hill while they drive and we meet at the pizzeria-restaurant in the little town of Nogent. Good food, friendly service and the lively conversation make for a very enjoyable evening and we stay up far beyond our usual cyclists' bedtime. Without our panniers we pedal back up the hill with elan and I manage to sleep fairly well in our little tent.

Today's ride: 70 km (43 miles)
Total: 941 km (584 miles)

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