We continued our journey, stopping in Epernay, Tours sur Marne, Chalons-en-Champagne, then Vitry-le-Francois.
Epernay is at the heart of Champagne country, in good measure because it sits on the Marne. As we exited the Canal Lateral de la Marne we saw the muddy river flying past. Turning into it we immediately felt the strong current. We chugged the 4 kilometers to the marina to find the harbor master waiting for us at the dock to help us in. As we approached we could see why – there wasn’t much room left for the river to rise before we’d float onto the dock, meaning the fenders would easily come in above the dock so the boat itself would hit. Later that day we were told we had to leave in the morning. The regional authorities, who exercise control over the water level, were going to release more water from the reservoir.
Before the news arrived we took our guest to a Champagne house. The nearby house, Champagne de Castellane, no longer provides tours, so we found another. Last time we were here the harbor master hosted a generous Champagne happy hour, provided by Castellane. This is no longer possible as Castellane no longer provides the product free to the marina.
We departed early the next morning to beat the additional release from the reservoir. Our 7 kph speed against the current became 14 kph with it. Fortunately the comparatively small number of floating logs were swept to the outside of the curves, where the current is strongest, while we remained on the inside as much as possible. For some reason the current slowed just as we reached the lock returning us to the safe waters of the canal. Its activating mechanism is a bit down river so you have to move to it and then turn around. With the reduced current we were able to complete the maneuver.
Tours-sur-Marne came after that nail-biter on the river, offering a gorgeous setting with vineyards set behind the reflective still waters. It’s a tiny village with a single Champagne merchant. The church is from 1851. The grapes they grow were once classified as Grand Cru, the highest rating, used to set prices after a long period of price instability. The classification has long been abandoned.
The Canal Lateral de la Marne is lined with endless great scenery. Rolling hills and fields green with crops, potatoes, beets and more, as well as wheat. We grabbed a few plants from the fields, boiled them a bit and enjoyed some mighty fine greens along with the young and still white beets.
Chalons-en-Champagne is our next stop; we are no longer amidst the fields of grapes. The Cathedral of Saint Ettiene dates from the 12th century. Its origins are Romanesque, meaning thick walls and small windows, but it was rebuilt in the Gothic style with thin walls and large windows. Then they added a Baroque section in the 17th century. Its soaring ceiling and beautiful stained glass flood the huge chamber in light. Some of the stained glass was made in the 12th century, as seen in the photo below. You can’t help but feel a time travel sensation bringing you into the medieval mind where fantasy rules, fantasy’s limitless reach unrestricted by the limits of factuality, instead only by the rhetoric of theologians and the discipline imposed by the Church.
Notre Dame en Vaux is another great old church, a UNESCO World Heritage one to boot. It was built between 1157 and 1217. It had a cloister, now a garden, faced by a small museum. There are a number of other worthwhile visits in the town of just 45,000. It is on the road to Santiago de Compostela.
Vitry-le-Francois has the tiniest harbor, maybe a half dozen slots with barely room for us in the narrow canal leading to the moorings, where we had to make a difficult 90 degree turn to slide into the perpendicular slot. There is a harbor master, a woman who proved to be highly attentive. The electrical outlet with a proper modern boat type connection wasn’t working. The other outlets were house types, not used in a marine environment. I had to make an adapter from an old house plug.
Nearby is the beautiful city hall, in French called either the Maire (Mayor) or Hotel d’ Ville. It’s oversized for this tiny village.
