Champagne
Abbey in Champagne the late 17 th century . After falling for a subtle , citrusy Champagne , we are told that cellar-masters compare the process of assemblage with the role of an artist choosing his palette of colours . So we are not so far from Renoir after all .
The ghostly monks return in the Abbaye d ’ Auberive , a sober Cistercian foundation , once the sister abbey to Clairvaux . Set on the banks of the Aube , the monastery flourished in the 13th century . The serene Cistercian spirit somehow prevails , despite the abbey ’ s checkered past as prison , cotton mill , detention centre , Benedictine retreat , then wartime Nazi headquarters . The soothing monastic gardens and pared-down spaces now form an inspired setting for exhibitions of contemporary sculpture and outsider art .
Further east is Langres , an unmissable fortified town commanding a rocky outcrop . Wrapped in ramparts , and dominated by a tower , Langres was bordered by medieval enemies . Gabled but still secretive , it makes an inviting lunch stop . In Le Café de Foy , on Place Diderot , we tuck into the tasty local cheese salad and mirabelle tart , washed down with a jug of Chablis . Cuisine champenoise tends to come in two forms : earthy or gourmet , with prices to match . The simpler bistrots , like this one , may serve sauerkraut , andouillette sausages , pigs ’ trotters , white pudding ( boudin blanc ), as well as servings of Langres and Chaource cheeses . Playful
`bouchons de champagne ’, chocolate champagne corks , reflect the biggest regional brand .
Winding gently north leads to Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises , a place of pilgrimage to the French , particularly for the older generation . In most polls of `the greatest Frenchman of all time ’, de Gaulle rubs shoulders with Napoleon and Louis XIV . As General de Gaulle ’ s home , and sanctuary during the `wilderness years ’, Colombey itself has become a symbol of French patriotism . La Boisserie , the family home , and the graveyard where de Gaulle is buried , draw reverent visitors . But for outsiders , far more telling is the Memorial Charles de Gaulle , the museum dedicated
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