Troyes and Chablis

We had a leisurely morning packing up and saying goodbye to our friends in Èpernay on Saturday, September 19 before continuing our journey south (ish). First stop was back to Avenay Val d’Or where we had stayed on Wednesday night to pick up some more of their lovely champagne!

Then onto Vertus, a sweet town before Troyes, a wonderful medieval town. We were able to park up just outside the historic centre of Troyes and walk in. The car park was very busy but a van pulled out just as we entered so the parking goddess was definitely looking out for us. One of the reasons the town was so busy, apart from being a Saturday afternoon, was that it was National Heritage Weekend. This was to celebrate all the traditional crafts across France. So, in front of the cathedral were many different apprentices showing off their skills. There were blacksmiths, carpenters, roofers – you name it. Lovely to see such artisan skills being celebrated. Further into town there was a fete as well, where they were letting kids try out wheelchair basketball to see what it felt like to be in a wheelchair. Clever idea.

From Troyes we went onto Chablis. We stopped at another France Passion winegrower and managed to snaffle a tasting for 18.00. Lovely wine and we learnt more about the difference between Petit Chablis and Chablis. The latter grown on land that was once a seabed and has fossils in the stone. Consequently, Chablis has a more salty taste to it. We then offset our free night’s accommodation by buying several bottles of his wine! A wander into town where we purchased some local cheese and bypassed the shop selling andouillettes (tripe sausages!). On the way back we spotted some locals playing boules in a dry river bed. The only downside to a lovely day was the fact that our host, M Jacquin, needed to leave by 07.00 the next morning to set up a stall in a market in Dijon that morning!