Today we stayed in Reims until evening. It was sunny and even hot, so
we tried to spend our time mostly in parks. There was a charming
garden near the Abbey of Saint Remi with lilac trees. Everything was
in blossom so just sitting and admiring the plants around was enough
to be happy. Interestingly, there also was a small monument with a
Russian Orthodox cross dedicated to Russian allies in World War I.
The principal goal for today was the Museum of the Abbey of Saint
Remi. There were very few visitors, and the cloister with
hedgehog-shaped bushes was enjoyable. They even had a sheet in
Russian which was quite surprising considering frequent unwillingness
of the French to use any other language except their own. One
particular thing mentioned in the list was that Russian tsar Peter
the Great had visited the abbey to take a look at the Holy Ampulla.
Good choice:)
The last park we were in Reims was Pierre Schneiter Garden - a
peaceful and beautiful place with small ponds and large old trees.
And with many different insects, of course:) One of them, a giant
bumblebee, I guess, was literally chasing us from bench to bench, so
that we had to leave the garden a bit earlier than it deserved. We
dubbed it 'Le Bug':)
And yes, we bought a couple of bottles of quality champagne from a
shop near the Notre-Dame. The shop assistant helped us to choose
bottles strictly according to our budget which was in striking
contrast with anything one would expect of a salesman. He also spoke
English well and told us that his ice-hockey trainer was a Russian
immigrant. Well, it was pleasant to realise that here in Reims the
image of Russians is quite different from which I would assume.
