Itinerary: Paris to Reims
Through the Champagne Country by Barge
Presented by WGUC & WVXU
June 13-21, 2008
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DAY 1 – FRIDAY, JUNE 13 – DEPARTURE
Depart the U.S. on your flight to Paris.

DAY 2 – SATURDAY, JUNE 14 – ARRIVE PARIS • BOARD THE FLEUR
Arrive at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, meet your guide and drive into Paris where you board the Fleur, which will be moored at the Port d’Arsenal close to the Place de la Bastille.

The barge, converted for passenger travel in 2002, accommodates 20 guests in 10 well-appointed two-berth cabins. It has a spacious sitting area, a half-covered sun deck, and a comfortable dining room.

Meet your fellow travelers and the barge owner and hostess, Jossie Verkerk, at the welcome reception. After dinner, if you like, join your guide for a Paris-by-night walk that takes in Montmartre and the Sacré-Coeur Basilica.
D MV Fleur

DAY 3 – SUNDAY, JUNE 15 – PARIS TO MEAUX
After breakfast leave Paris by the bike path that leads from the Place de la Bastille along the Bassin de la Villette to the banks of the l’Ourcq.

On the way to Meaux we will pass a pumping engine in Trillbardou that dates from 1865, when it was installed to provide sufficient water for the city. Your destination today is Meaux, a cheese-making center famed for its “brie de Meaux,” which you will sample when you arrive.

The cheese, made in this area since the 8th century, was once known as the “King’s Cheese.” After the French Revolution it was renamed “King of Cheeses” and enjoyed by the citizenry.

You will also see the Cathédrale St.-Étienne that has stood over the city since it was completed in 1600 after 400 years of oft-interrupted construction.

After your walking tour of Meaux highlights, re-board the ship for dinner and the night. You are welcome to go ashore again for an evening walk after dinner.

(NOTE: While dinner is often served later in France, dinnertime on this trip is about 6:30 PM.)
B/D MV Fleur

DAY 4 – MONDAY, JUNE 16 – THROUGH THE MARNE VALLEY
Today, you will cruise through the Marne Valley toward La Ferté-sous-Jouarre.

On the way, pass the Château de Montceau, which was begun in the 16th century by Catherine de Medici, wife of King Henri II, and the beautiful 12th-century Abbey in Joarre. Disembark in La Ferté to taste the local Brie de Meaux and Brie noir at a cheese dairy.

Walking through the town, you will also notice neo-Gothic Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), the monument to British soldiers who fell during the Battle of the Marne, and the art museum now housed in a former synagogue.

La Ferté offers walking and biking paths, either of which you might explore after dinner in the long summer evening.
B/D MV Fleur

DAY 5 – TUESDAY, JUNE 17 – CHAMPAGNE CELLARS IN CHÂTEAU-THIERRY
Today you can choose either to enjoy the environs from the deck of the Fleur or to join a group cycling through the hills north of the river toward the valley of the little Clignon River.

By either route your destination today is Château-Thierry, which takes its name from the castle once situated on the slopes above the Marne. You can still see some of the castle remnants. Château-Thierry is the native town of Jean de la Fontaine, the world-famous writer of fables. When you arrive there, you will have opportunity to visit the champagne cellars of Pannier, who purchased the medieval cellars in Châteu-Thierry in the late 1930s.

The Pannier champagnes use three varieties of champagne grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir.
B/D MV Fleur

DAY 6 – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18 – THROUGH VINEYARDS TO EPERNAY
Today you cruise through an area that was the scene of protracted battles during World War I. You will see the castle and chapel dedicated to the memory of those who fought in the Battle of the Marne.

Today extensive vineyards of Champagne grapes surround your cruising route. If you bicycle today, you will stop for a short visit at some of the champagne cellars, and for a look at the Roman church at Vandières and the Château de Boursault, built in 1848 by the widow of M. Cliquot who gave her name to the famous “Veuve Cliquot” champagne. We may also visit Hautvillers on the southern slopes of the Montagne de Reims.

According to tradition Dom Pérignon (1638-1715), who was in charge of the wine cellars of the Benedictine abbey, was the first to succeed in blending various kinds of wine into a beverage of superb quality. He also introduced double fermentation, a technique used in the making of champagne.

The cruising and cycling passengers will meet this afternoon in Ay, just outside Epernay.
B/D MV Fleur

DAY 7 – THURSDAY, JUNE 19 – EPERNAY TO SEPT-SAULX
We will visit Epernay, the major wine center of the Champagne besides Reims. In this area, three extensive wine regions, the Montagne de Reims, the Côte des Blancs and the Vallée de la Marne, come together.

Epernay is graced with many townhouses in the neo-renaissance of classical style, especially around the Avenue de Champagne where the prestigious champagne houses such as Moët et Chandon are located. Cruise or bike through the Marne Valley, passing Mareuil-sur-Ay with its beautiful castle, where the Duke of Montebello established a champagne house in 1830.

This afternoon the Fleur leaves the Marne and turns north on the canal that leads to Reims, docking for the night in the small village of Sept-Saulx.
B/D MV Fleur

DAY 8 – FRIDAY, JUNE 20 – INTO REIMS
Today we will cruise into Reims an old city on the banks of the River Vesle. If you take the optional bike ride, you will follow the northern side of the Parc Naturel Régional des Montagnes de Reims, pass old wine villages, and stop at Rilly, where you can see the spires of Notre-Dame de Reims** in the distance.

It will be the landmark that draws you, whether you approach by barge or by bicycle. Reims is especially known for this magnificent cathedral, where for centuries French kings were crowned. It is admired for its unity of style and its magnificent sculptures, as well as its prominent part in French history.

Take time to visit the Cathedral and enjoy the narrow cobblestone streets off the Place de la République. In that square you will also see the Porte de Mars, one of the 3rd-century Roman gateways to the city. The Basilique St.-Remi,** with its great stained glass windows, is also well worth a visit as, of course, are the numerous cellars in this center of champagne production.

Enjoy a walk through the city after dinner.
B/D MV Fleur

*DAY 9 – SATURDAY, JUNE 21 – DEPARTURE
*If you have not chosen to take the optional post-tour extension.
After breakfast, disembark and transfer by coach to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport for your return flight to the U.S.
B

Key: B = Full breakfast provided; D = Dinner provided)

To ensure your reservation please print, complete, sign and mail the reservation form with your credit card number or check for $500.00 per person payable to WGUC to:

WGUC
Paris to Reims
1223 Central Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45214

**World Heritage Sites: An asterisk in the text indicates that this location has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). International experts as places that should be preserved for generations to come have chosen these sites.