A week after Nina & Damien had visited us, our friends from the south visited us for a long weekend. Even though they were crossing the Atlantic to explore the Caribean islands for a period of 9 months with their yacht Phileas, it's been 2 years since we have seen them (when exploring a small area of the Mediterranean around Toulon with Phileas). The happy reunion was celebrated with a bottle of champagne on the Friday evening. The Saturday morning we were off to one of the many champagne houses in Verzenay. Not that easy to drink champagne early in the morning though. According to Madame Busin she opened up for us only because it was me who was requesting it. True or not, I appreciated her kindness, even more so when after tasting three different types of their champagne, she went to fetch a champagne of 2002 that they had the previous evening at dinner, that Brigitte and Christian can taste that as well. By the time we left, we've decided no more alcohol until dinner time.
We finalised our preparations for a picnic in the forest and off we went, with water in the bag - no wine or champagne. JL chose a route not too difficult, as I have warned B&C too late to bring walking shoes. Even though Brigitte could fit into a pair of mine, there was no way that Christian would have been able to fit into a pair of JL's. And we didn't want to mess up his nice walking sandals in the forest mud.
Halfway on our route we've managed to find a picnic table and decided to do it in style, using the table rather than having to squat down on the small blanket. The food itself was French style - avocado, smoked salmon, the tomato apéritif that I have published on the last blog (as a salad this time), baguette, cheese, and even berries with (lots of) cream.
That evening we had a braai (after more champagne) - after 4 years of living in SA, my dear French friends are no longer talking of a barbeque, but of a braai, even in France.
And the following morning we were off to Hautvillers, so that they can see it in summertime as the previous time they have visited us were in February - and to visit another champagne house. Brigitte, true to the skills she had picked up in SA during wine tastings, wanted a glass for each champagne she tasted, in order to compare.
After another visit the following morning I felt in need for a liver transplant though. I have realised having visitors in the champagne region two following weekends are definitely no good for the health! But we still thoroughly enjoy emerging (drowning) all our friends and family in champagne, covering the spectrum of a third chardonnay, third pinot meunier, third pinot noir to 100% pinot noir to blanc de noir comprising of pinot noir and pinot meunier, to100% chardonnay (and anything in between) as well as the different terroirs - our side of the Montagne, the other side, along the Marne river, down to the Côte de Blanc.
Santé!
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