DAY 1, Friday SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Landed at CDG, PARIS. Collected car and drove to Reims

STAY: Reims KOSY Appart'hôtel Le Champ De Mars Reims, 1 NIGHT

SIGHTS Reims Cathedral, Palace, St Remi Basilica

INDUSTRIAL ACTION/STRIKE BY ATC IN FRANCE ON THE DAY WE WERE SCHEDULED TO LAND

45% Flights were canceled on the Friday we were scheduled to land in Paris. Thankfully long haul flights were not affected and we were able to land. It was a bit stressful though.

We were flying in from different places. My flight arrived at 8 am on Sep 16. After passport control and bag collecting, I walked over to Sheraton and waited. Son's flight landed at 8.30 amd he met me at Sheraton lobby as planned.

It was just 9.30, we walked to the car rental counters at the airport.

AVIS CAR RENTAL & HIGHWAY TOLLS

AVIS Car rental at CDG was easy. Peugeot 2008 automatic transmission, 860 EUROS, Sep 16-Oct 4, 18 days. We took full insurance for 200 euros from Booking.com through whom we had booked the car

We made sure our 1^st day drive was short... CDG to Reims was 126 km, 1h 30 min on the highway. So the international flight did not affect the drive

We got to the toll booth which had a green arrow, the others took only their monthly card payment.

When we entered, the machine gave a ticket... when we exited the highway, the booth there collected payment... we had to put in our ticket and the credit card in their slots, the payment went through and the bar lifted to let the car through.

STUDIO APARTMENT

1 night at KOSY Appart'hôtel Le Champ De Mars Reims

We arrived early in the afternoon. They had sent us the gate entry code the previous day itself. We parked on the road outside the building. When we went in to get the keys from the keybox, we were met by the check-in manager. He said 'the checkin is at 3 pm, it's just a little past 12 now.

We asked, can we please keep our bags?

He said sure and called the maid to clean our room 1st.

The room was already clean, beds made, the maid gave a few touches for some 5 min. He gave us an early check-in after 10 minutes. We appreciated this courtesy.

The room is inside a quiet compound. It is compact but well equipped. There was a LIDL nearby for groceries ...rice, bread, milk, olives, veggies, fruits as well as icecream and chocolates

and the kitchenette was handy. WEe made a meal of the home made tortillas amd tomato relish I had brought

There was free parking outside, and it was a short drive to the historical center (Reims cathedral, etc.).

REIMS CATHEDRAL /Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Reims

In its current incarnation, it may be about 50 years younger than Notre Dame in Paris. But Reims Cathedral is larger and was at the heart of Christian Europe more than 700 years before the Paris cathedral was built. More than 2,300 statues march across its facades, including a gallery of 56 kings.

Construction of the present Reims Cathedral began in the 13th century and concluded in the 14th century. A prominent example of High Gothic architecture, it was built to replace an earlier church destroyed by fire in 1210

Its main facade is one of the most beautiful in France, and apart from the famous smiling angel, it is also known for its impressive Galerie des Rois de France (French Kings’ Gallery), best admired at sunset.

Don’t miss the stained glass windows by March Chagall behind the choir; they are stunning

The Palace of Tau (Palais du Tau)

8 euros,

From September 9 to May 5: 9:45 am - 12:30 pm / 2 pm - 5:15 pm

- From May 6 to September 8: 9:30 am - 6:30 pm

Closed on Mondays Last access to the monument 45 minutes before closing, midday and evening

It was the palace of the Archbishop of Reims. It is associated with the kings of France, whose coronation was held in the nearby cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims and the following coronation banquet in the palace itself.

The palace has housed the Musée de l'Œuvre since 1972, displaying statuary and tapestries from the cathedral, together with the remains of the cathedral treasury and other objects associated with the coronation of the French kings.