Other sights in Champagne
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Phare de Verzenay
For the region’s best introduction to the art of growing grapes and the cycles of the seasons, head to the Phare de Verzenay, on a hilltop at the eastern edge of the village. Exactly 101 spiral stairs lead to the top of the lighthouse, constructed as a publicity stunt in 1909, which rewards visitors with unsurpassed 360-degree views of vine, field and forest – and, if you’re lucky, a tiny TGV zipping by in the distance. The Sillery sugar mill, visible on the horizon, turns an astounding 16,000 tonnes of beets (a major regional crop) into 2600 tonnes of sugar each day!
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Musée du Mariage
Featuring colourful and often gaudy objects associated with 19th-century marriage traditions, highlights include a tableau of newlyweds in their nuptial bed – but they’re not alone, for they’ve been woken up early by family and friends bearing Champagne, chocolate and broad smiles. The collection was assembled by the parents of the owner of Champagne Henry de Vaugency (founded 1732), an eighth-generation Champagne grower. An explanatory sheet in English is available.
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Pommery
No visit to Reims would be complete without a tour of a champagne cave (cellar) and eight maisons (houses or producers) offer guided tours of their premises that end, naturellement, with a tasting session. Of the Reims trinity, Mumm is most easily accessible from the centre, while Taittinger and Pommery are under 2km to the southeast.
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Église St-Jacques
The 12th- to 14th-century Église St-Jacques, the city’s only remaining medieval parish church, has some 1960s stained glass that’s so awful it has to be seen to be believed. The blue and white windows in the nave were added in 2010.
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Monument Rachi
Troyes’ striking Monument Rachi, a white-and-black globe that spells out Rashi’s acronym in Hebrew letters, stands very near the site of the long-gone Jewish cemetery where he is believed to have been buried.
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Moulin de Verzenay
The Moulin de Verzenay, on the western edge of town, was used as an observation post during WWI and by the US Army during WWII. The interior is closed but the nearby hill offers fine valley views.
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Écomusée d’Œuilly
To get a sense of winegrowing life a century ago, drop by the Écomusée d’Œuilly whose three sections include a schoolroom, c 1900. Œuilly (population 650) is 15km west of Épernay, just off D3.
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Porte de Mars
For a quick trip back to Roman Gaul, check out the massive Porte de Mars, a three-arched triumphal gate built in the 2nd century AD.
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Hôtel de Chaudron
One of the founders of the Canadian city of Montréal, Paul Chomeday de Maisonneuve (1612–76), once lived in the Hôtel de Chaudron.
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Cryptoportique
The below-street-level Cryptoportique is thought to have been used for grain storage in the 3rd century AD.
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