We went through potato fields where winter harvest was going on and visited several vineyards. Tatlinger, Moet Chandon and the most memorable is Castellane. This Champagne mixing plant has 16km dug out below them on tunnels and had sparkling wine dated back to 1642! They said they opened one for Napoleon, one for Charles De Gaul and recently to Mitterand...that is it, still got about 400 bottles to go, about 18,000 Euros a shot!
Here is one of the best moments, sampling a freshly pulled glass in the ambient temperatures of the tunnel itself, about 14 deg C! Nice, the tour guide also drink, he does a few tours a day! In a few years, he will patronise the Indian body parts market for a good stolen liver! At the rate he is going! Suicide!
See, here is one of those crazy bottles they use to christen their nuclear subs! Enough to drink 20 bulls under the table!
Castellane do not export their Champagne, 100% domestic sales only, that is 1.4 million bottles a year and 70% consumed in Paris. This is with the exception of it being used in Formula One races.
At the country side where they planted the vine yards. You can see them in rows in the background. This is the valley area, about 8 degrees C, not too cold, but you can see, I have a T shirt one, one pull over and one, spanking new rip off vest by Camel Active Wear that I was forced to buy in Rue De Rivoli in Paris due to sudden down turn of temperatures!
I like country side small towns like this one, they are not Frenchy like the fake Africans in Vous Vous Votre Paris! Shit crap! These are the real French people, loving, hospitable and very happy to see foreigners like me, they never saw any since they aren't in the tourist belt. Here I was just about to go to their local Bonbons to buy some nice deli and sweets over some coffee, albeit at under 50% the price you pay in Paris.
This is a Chinese Restaurant that served French Food! Its called the little chinese! What a surprise! A lot of truckers eat here. Just round the corner from Castellane on your way to the local Carrefour to stock up my groceries. In EU, you better have a good stove and cook or else, you pay top dollars for food that will make you sick! Home sick that is for this CINA BIANG!
Sweet country side with launch place for water sports like canoes and kayaks! Good place to live, nice and quite, can make a lot of models. Get the summer shrubs here in Autum for free, no need to buy Preiser!
Some see this as ARTY FARTY shot, I see it as a good supply of twigs to make Dioramas! Beauty in the beholder!
Another Arty Farty shot of the country side. I got off the car, walked through cold wet sod to get this shot, pity, its a little hazy for a good view. Photo did not do justice to the real thing, was really breathtaking. No Canon EOS can capture your 2 million MB eyeballs can, only lens and CMOS system made by God!
Waited for some time to get this shot. Ran to the middle and took this shot before kena nearly honked down by a trailer truck who wasn't happy. That chap must be from Paris, people down here are nice. I tried very hard to take a shot, yet a few cars stopped and asked if I wanted them to help me take a picture of me! Actually, I wanted them to leave me alone to have this shot taken! Imagine, the 504 thundered through here, must be very terrifying then! Some of the houses still had bullet holes in them!