p a p e r d o l l

We made a day trip out of Champagne (17th June). There were me, Mario, ZY and ZY’s Jenni. Mario and I had heard a lot about Jenni for a looooong time, and so it was great to finally meet this larger-than-life person.

Our Champagne trip wasn’t particularly exciting. In the car, we sang along to the cds I’d mixed (in response to Mario’s mostly terrible music choices that we had to suffer through over and over again on our last road trip or face the equally awful music played on the French radio stations). We sang our hearts out and it was very fun. I was only afraid at some points that Mario would be distracted/alarmed by our singing and swerve the car into mishap, but no.

Lunch was at the Buffalo Grill. Only because we kept seeing them in France but had not eaten at one before. It was not very good. Then we went to the Cathedrale- the grand structure dominating Champagne. That was suitably impressive.

Coming out into the strong sunlight again, we walked to and in the town square, ate sub-standard ice-cream, went into McDonald’s for yummier milkshake, peered into shop windows, talked about how the centre-ville of Champagne was like that of Nice… and soon it was time to drive over to the Pommery cellar for our wine cellar tour.

The wine cellar was REALLY STRANGE. A lot of installation art- I don’t understand why I paid for a wine cellar tour and ended up seeing installation art. The guide was really bad. Seriously. We were so annoyed… but then we were each given a flute of bubbly and were tipsy, if not appeased.

By this time, it was raining and it was also time for the drive back, with me contentedly sleeping next to the driver (while holding my red balloon from Buffalo Grill-my face was the same red), the trusty Mario- the poor thing who always has to drive responsibly while the rest of us sleep like the unglamorous pigs that we are.

Company makes all the difference, doesn’t it?

“In traveling, a companion, in life, compassion.” So they say.