Rheims

Drove to Rheims, our stopover for the return journey, and spent an age trying to find this trip's 'B&B Hotel' (which was far too new for our long unupdated satnav to locate easily.) When we did finally get there it turned out to be nice contrast to 'the Compound', pleasant and roomy and very conveniently situated by the grand new TGV station at the end of a tram line into town. We arrived fairly late in the day but had plenty of time to visit the cathedral, which is truly as huge and breathtaking as its reputation would lead you to expect (and contains some beautiful blue windows by Marc Chagall), stroll through the park and by the Porte Mars, a fabulously complete Roman triumphal arch, and still find somewhere decent to eat on the pavement of the busy pedestrianised main square.