We left this morning around 8 AM, heading to Brussels. We stopped at a town called Reims.

Reims has played an important role in French history as the Cathedral was the site of many coronations of French monarchs. The Cathedral was heavily damaged in WW II and has since been restored, though scars can still be seen.

The history of Reims goes back to the Roman Empire and we saw that  in an excavation of the Roman ruins recently discovered along side the church.

Reims also has the distinction of being the place where Joan of Arch was burned at the stake for heresy.

We toured the G.H. Momm Champagne “factory”, including a tasting session.

G. H. Mumm & Cie, situated in Reims in northern France, is one of the largest Champagne producers and it is currently ranked in the top 5 globally based on volume of bottles sold. 

We were taken to the many caves and tunnels under Reims  where the Champagne is aged. These tunnels form a sort of maze below the city. Carved from chalk, some of these passages date back to Roman times.</p?

Afterwards, we had lunch at a quaint sidewalk Café.

Brussels

Now it is time to head to Brussels, Belgium. Near Brussels,  we stopped at the site of the 1958 world Expo. There was built a large steel atom model. It was to be like Paris is Eiffel Tower built as an exhibit. It was a drive by stop  though and we were not able to actually go inside.

Next, we went to see a lace factory. Lace is a common export from Belgium and I was curious how it was made. The factory was a bit disappointing.  It ended up being just a small shop with a video on how lace was made.

Next we were driven to the town center of Brussels. Amongst other things, Brussels is the town that has the famous statue of the peeing boy, called Manneken Pis or Lil Piddler.  It was designed by Hiëronymus Duquesnoy the Elder (nl) and records show it was sculpted in 1618 or 1619. It depicts a small naked boy urinating into a fountain bowl. The current statue is a copy which dates from 1965. The original is kept in the Museum of the City of Brussels.

While what we saw was the copy, we learned that the Manneken Pis is dressed in costumes, several times each week, according to a published schedule, which is posted on the railings around the fountain. Since 1954, the costumes are managed by the non-profit association “The Friends of Manneken-Pis”, who review hundreds of designs submitted each year, and select a small number to be produced and used.

In the Square was a beer festival where many of the exhibitors were selling their wares for 60 Frank’s. The buildings and architecture in the Square were quite beautiful.

We were given an hour of free time in which we shopped  before we returned to the bus to go to the hotel for dinner in bed.