Ingrid and I loved the beautiful city of Reims, but its surroundings shouldn’t be ignored either. Here is our selection.
Phare de Verzenay
A lighthouse in the middle of Champagne vineyards? You’ll find it in the pretty village of Verzenay. The lighthouse nowadays serves as a museum about … Champagne.
Les Faux de Verzy
The French word “fau” means dward beech. According to Wikipedia,
They are not more than 4 or 5 metres high (12 or 15 feet). In summer, they spread their leaves like heavy sun umbrellas; some looking like leaf igloos. In winter, their tortuous shape can be seen naked: trunks and branches are crooked, bent, twisted and pendulous to the ground. (…) With more than 1,000 dwarf beeches, theNational Forest of Verzy is the world’s principal reserve of dwarf beeches.
Montmort – Lucy
Another pretty village, this time with a beautiful Renaissance castle, which unfortunately was closed.
Mondement – Montgivroux
This place is known for its Monument National de la Victoire de la Marne. Given its huge size (35 meters high) and its pink color, it is easy to find.
Sézanne
We stopped in this village to visit the Saint-Denis church.
Dormans Memorial
Situated in the park of a castle with the same name, this monument commemorates the 2 battles at the Marne (September 1914 and July 1918). The memorial itself was constructed between 1921 and 1931.
