Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Champagne-Ardenne , Northern France

Champagne-Ardenne  is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northeast of the country, bordering Belgium, and consists of four departments: Aube, Ardennes, Haute-Marne, and Marne. The region is famous for its sparkling white wine (champagne). Its rivers, most of which flow west, include the Seine, the Marne, and the Aisne. The Meuse flows north.

I visit in Eperney, In the central and oldest quarter of the town, the streets are narrow and irregular; the surrounding suburbs, however, are modern and more spacious, with La Folie to the East, for example, containing many villas belonging to rich wine merchants. The town has also spread to the right bank of the Marne.
The most famous street in Épernay is the Avenue de Champagne which features the leading Champagne manufacturers.
Other sights outside the town include:
  • Château de Pierry
  • Château de Montmort
  • Château de Condé
  • Chateau de Mercier

 



L'Avenue de Champagne (The Champagne Avenue) is a famous street located in Épernay, the 'Capital of champagne', in the Champagne-Ardenne Région of France.
Its name derives from the presence of many leading champagne producers such as Moët et Chandon, Mercier and De Castellane.
Residents say that this avenue is the most expensive in the world, more so than the Champs-Élysées in Paris, because of the millions of bottles of champagne stored in the kilometres of chalk cellars beneath it.
It has become a tourist attraction for Épernay and the Région; the biggest champagne producers organise visits to show how the drink is produced and stored