Le phare de Verzenay - Verzenay Lighthouse

Last Saturday we drove up to Reims and the Champagne area for the day. The weather forecast wasn't especially good, but we hadn't done much the previous weekend, due to poor weather and other commitments, so we decided we just had to get out and make the most of it. It rained much of the way, but by the time we got there, it had stopped, and it remained dry for the rest of the day.
We started with Reims cathedral. Notre Dame cathedral of Reims is a wonderful Gothic masterpiece, which unfortunately suffered heavily from German shelling during the early stages of the 1st World War. Restoration work began in 1919 and it was fully opened again in 1938, thanks in part to financial support from the Rockefellers. The cathedral was the location for the coronation ceremonies of French kings. Much of the original stained glass was destroyed in the war, but it does have a beautiful champagne window, depicting scenes of the process, from the vineyards to the manufacture, and some modern stained glass, notably a set of three in the axis of the apse by Marc Chagall. After lunch we went to the Fine Arts Museum, which turned out to be rather a disappointment. I had read that they had quite a good collection, including 28 paintings by Corot, some Monet, Pisarro, etc. Unfortunately the galleries containing all those were closed, as they are reorganizing to prepare for a big exhibition opening in November, commemorating 100 years since the beginning of the 1st World War. However, we saw what there was, then went on to the Foujita chapel, which was included on the same ticket, and is located next to the Mumm Champagne house.
We then decided to get out of the city and drive some of the Champagne trail, through the vineyards. One of the last things you might expect to see in the middle of the vineyards and many miles from the coast is a lighthouse! The lighthouse, which is fully functioning, was built in 1909 by M. Joseph Goulet as an advertising gimmick to promote his champagne company. At the bottom of the structure, he had an open-air theatre, a restaurant and a cabaret establishment built. The Lighthouse of Verzenay therefore soon became a meeting place for people living in Reims and Epernay, who could sample champagne in a festive atmosphere and with a wonderful view over the vineyards. The events of the First World War, however, put an end to these good times. The lighthouse was then used as an observation tower by the French army and suffered shellfire from enemy troops. In the aftermath of the war, only the reinforced concrete tower remained, the adjacent buildings were destroyed, and for many years, the Lighthouse of Verzenay was left disused, and fell into oblivion. The lighthouse was bought back by the municipality of Verzenay in 1987 from a Champagne House which owned the premises, and later turned into a vine museum. Unfortunately it was late afternoon by this point, and the museum was closed, but the views were still wonderful, even from the base! We finished our day with dinner in Epernay, then drove the almost two hours home. A long day, but worth the drive, and better than staying home looking out the window at grey skies!