In Reins

The Cathedral at Reims, France

Yesterday being Belgium's National Day, we decided to do the natural thing and go elsewhere; in our case, to Reins, France, home of, among other things, one of the world's largest medieval cathedrals. An added incentive for the trip was that Reins is sort of the capital of France's champagne region, and there are many caves there that offer tours and FREE SAMPLES.

We decided to approach Reins directly from the north, driving from Brussels through Charleroi and Philippeville, then directly south through parts of the Ardennes forest and subsequent, rolling, French farmland. We hadn't been in this area for over a decade; the last time was to view the August 1999 solar eclipse from within the totality, a vantage point for us just over the French border with Belgium. I remember I got out of bed during a severe illness just to see and photograph the event, and while there was some cloud, we did get a look and pictures of the total eclipse—it engendered a very strange feeling as I recall.

Some things never change, and other than some decline in infrastructure, the Belgium countryside in Wallonia looked much the same as I remembered it: that is, lovely. At this time of the year Belgium is green and lush—so green it almost hurts the eyes. The roads, though, seem to be suffering from a lack of maintenance and investment. I noticed many buildings boarded up and derelict, including at least one beautiful, large house.

We saw quite a bit of the damage from the last massive wind storm just this year. The winds apparently formed vortices that could twist some large trees in two while leaving adjacent stands alone. We drove along through the forest when suddenly, we would come upon a new clearing where the trees were thrown down, twisted and mangled. It reminded us of the storms of 1987 and 1990 when Belgium (and other countries) lost a large percentage of its forests.

We crossed the French border before stopping at a small village, found the town center, and got their last four croissants. Is there anything better than a fresh, French croissant and a cup of strong, French coffee? This is a rhetorical question.

Reims is ungodly flat, good I suppose for its agriculture but a bit boring, otherwise. This is a very old and historic city, however, and it's rich, too. There's a lot of construction going on and the architecture is interesting and worth the extra effort and time to view. I suggest lunch at the town center, although avoid the outside tables and eat inside; they are repaving the streets and walks. It will be beautiful when they finish; until then, it's noisy and dusty.

But the reason we were there was to see the Cathedral of Reims, which fairly reeks with history and culture, and is of an impressive size. This building has been around, in some form or the other since the 400's, and has been significant in the anointing of European kings and such for over a thousand years. The existing structure, although damaged in WWI and WWII (and numerous other wars), has been rebuilt into essentially the same edifice that stood here 800 years ago. I may have a few dates wrong, but if you're that picky, or want to know more about Reims (and you should) go to Wikipedia. For sure, it is one impressive cathedral and a must on your list of things to visit in northern Europe. The stained-glass windows are fantastic (the Chagall windows are particularly famous) and the scale of the structure is just stupendous.

They are busy cleaning the accumulated soot of centuries and renovating statues, etc. It is a huge job and about a third done, using my estimate. There are some snaps published for my followers and distribution list, but for some various perspectives on the cathedral and Reims, go to http://Picasa.com and search the public photo archives for Reims Cathedral. There are some really great photos. Bookmark this site for future use. If you want to be added to my distribution, add a comment below with your email address.

A note on French drivers: avoid angering them. They can harbor the worst cases of road rage in Europe, and can be outright dangerous to themselves and others. No joke; they can act as insane, behave irrationally, and use their vehicles as a weapon. If approached or threatened, act toward them as you would a rabid monkey and avoid any eye contact.