HI, I'M RICK STEVES IN THE FRENCH REGION OF ALSACE.
IN THIS PROGRAM, WE'LL SAMPLE A LUSH LAND
OF VILLAGES, VINEYARDS, RUINED CASTLES,
AND MEMORABLE CUISINE.
IN THIS SHOW, WE'LL EXPERIENCE THE UNIQUE MIX
OF ALSATIAN CULTURE
BY VISITING ITS LOVELY COBBLED VILLAGES,
SIPPING A LITTLE WINE,
VIEWING ART THAT'S STILL AS VIBRANT
AS THE DAY IT WAS PAINTED,
TASTING ALSATIAN CUISINE IN A FINE RESTAURANT,
PONDERING THE BLOODIEST
OF ALL WORLD WAR I BATTLEFIELDS,
GOING GOTHIC AT THE REIMS CATHEDRAL,
AND FINALLY VISITING THE BUBBLY BIRTHPLACE OF CHAMPAGNE.
FRANCE IS ONE OF THE LARGEST COUNTRIES IN WESTERN EUROPE.
THE REGION OF ALSACE
IS IN THE NORTHWESTERN PART OF THE COUNTRY.
FROM OUR ALSATIAN HOME BASE OF COLMAR,
WE'LL DRIVE TO VERDUN, REIMS, AND FINISH IN EPERNAY.
AND ONCE AGAIN, WE'RE TRAVELING WITH THE HELP
OF MY FRANCOPHILE PARTNER STEVE SMITH.
BONJOUR, RICK.
I TAUGHT HIM EVERYTHING HE KNOWS.
THEN THIS SHOW SHOULD BE, HOW YOU SAY, FORMIDABLE.
ALSACE IS FRANCE WITH A GERMAN ACCENT.
HISTORICALLY, THE GERMANS THOUGHT THE MOUNTAINS
WERE THE LOGICAL BORDER.
THE FRENCH THOUGHT THE RHINE RIVER WAS.
THE ALSACE, THAT'S THE AREA IN BETWEEN.
STANDING LIKE A FLOWER CHILD REFEREE
BETWEEN GERMANY AND FRANCE,
THE ALSACE HAS WEATHERED MANY INVASIONS.
THE REGION'S MANY CASTLES REMIND US
THAT ALSACE HAS BEEN A LONG-FOUGHT-OVER CROSSROADS,
AND ALL THESE CENTURIES AS A POLITICAL SHUTTLECOCK
BETWEEN GERMANY AND FRANCE
HAVE GIVEN THE ALSACE A HYBRID CULTURE.
VISITORS ENJOY A RICH BLENDING OF TWO GREAT SOCIETIES,
FRENCH AND GERMAN, CATHOLIC AND PROTESTANT,
A LATIN JOY OF LIFE
WITH JUST ENOUGH GERMANIC DISCIPLINE.
ALSACE HAS CAREFULLY COIFED POODLES
AND THE BEST BEER IN FRANCE.
THE RESTAURANTS SERVE SAUERKRAUT WITH FINE SAUCES.
SIGNS ARE BILINGUAL. SO ARE MANY NAMES.
AND WITH GERMAN POPULARITY LOW AFTER WORLD WAR II,
MANY FAMILIES WITH GERMAN SURNAMES
GAVE THEIR CHILDREN FRENCH FIRST NAMES.
MY NAME IS DOMINIQUE FREYBURGER.
MONIQUE FREUDENREISCH.
MAURICE KLUFT. [ LAUGHS ]
THE RICH MIXING OF CULTURES HAS DONE THE ALSACE WELL.
VISITORS DELIGHT IN THE REGION'S DISTINCTIVE CUISINE
AND SUPERB WINES.
CENTURIES OF SUCCESSFUL WINE PRODUCTION
HAVE BUILT PROSPEROUS AND COLORFUL VILLAGES.
WINE CONTINUES TO FUEL THE LOCAL ECONOMY.
WE'RE EXPLORING THE WINE ROAD OF ALSACE,
THE ROUTE DES VINS.
THIS ASPHALT RIBBON TIES 80 MILES OF VINEYARDS,
VILLAGES, AND FEUDAL FORTRESSES
INTO AN UNDERSTANDABLY POPULAR TOURIST PACKAGE.
THE DRY AND SUNNY CLIMATE HAS PRODUCED GOOD WINE
AND HAPPY TOURISTS SINCE ROMAN TIMES.
ALSATIAN TOWNS LIKE EGUISHEIM ARE HISTORIC MOSAICS,
MIXING FLOWER-BEDECKED FOUNTAINS,
CHEERY OLD INNS, AND CHARACTERISTIC WINERIES
COLORED IN WITH HALF-TIMBERED PASTELS.
THE EVER-PRESENT SYMBOL OF THE ALSACE,
MAGNIFICENT WHITE STORKS,
BUILD NESTS ON THE TOWN'S HIGHEST PERCHES.
DESPITE THE SEEMINGLY PRECARIOUS SETTING,
THEY MANAGE TO RAISE THEIR YOUNG
WHILE KEEPING AN EVER-WATCHFUL EYE
OVER THE VINEYARDS.
KAYSERSBERG IS A COLORFUL BUNDLE OF 15th-CENTURY HOUSES.
THE TOWN'S CHURCH FEATURES A CENTURIES-OLD CRUCIFIX
REMINDING US OF THE DEEP ROOTS OF ALSATIAN TOWNS.
THE CARVING OVER THE DOOR OF THE CHURCH DATES FROM 1235.
THE GREAT HUMANITARIAN ALBERT SCHWEITZER
ONCE LIVED IN THIS PEACEFUL VILLAGE.
HIS PROFOUND REVERENCE FOR LIFE
LED HIM TO AFRICA,
WHERE HE ESTABLISHED A HOSPITAL IN 1913.
HE SPENT THE BETTER PART OF HIS LIFE EXPANDING
AND SUPPORTING THIS EFFORT,
AND IN 1952, WAS AWARDED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE.
TODAY, HIS ALSATIAN HOMETOWN
IS A RELAXING AND ENJOYABLE GETAWAY.
HERE IN THE ALSACE, WINE IS THE PRIMARY INDUSTRY,
TOPIC OF CONVERSATION,
AND PERFECT EXCUSE FOR COUNTLESS FESTIVALS.
IT'S A TRADITION UPON WHICH
MUCH OF THE LOCAL FOLK CULTURE IS BUILT.
THE DEVASTATION OF WORLD WAR II
WAS A HIT-OR-MISS AFFAIR IN THE ALSACE.
SOME TOWNS WERE SPARED WHILE OTHERS WERE DESTROYED.
BENNWIHR WAS FLATTENED.
BUT THE RECOVERY OF THIS VILLAGE IS REMARKABLE.
THE SMALL FAMILY-RUN VINEYARDS OF MANY VILLAGES LIKE BENNWIHR
SPRANG BACK AS LARGE, EFFICIENT,
AND SUCCESSFUL CO-OPS.
IN THE VILLAGE OF BENNWIHR,
OVER 200 FAMILIES PRODUCE GRAPES,
AND MOST OF THOSE GRAPES COME HERE.
THIS PRODUCTION LINE HANDLES, 10,000 BOTTLES AN HOUR
AND BY THE END OF THE DAY,
HUNDREDS OF TONS OF GRAPES ARE PROCESSED.
FOUR MILLION BOTTLES ARE EXPORTED
ALL OVER EUROPE EACH YEAR.
HARVEST TIME IS IN THE FALL, BUT WE'RE HERE IN JUNE.
WHILE WE'RE MISSING THE CRUSHING OF THE GRAPES,
WE CAN CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THE MODERN PRODUCTION LINE
AS IT BOTTLES THE POPULAR WHITE WINES.
AND AFTER A GOOD TOUR OF THE WINE MAKING,
VISITORS ENJOY THE REFRESHING FINALE OF ANY VISIT:
THE TASTING.
FOR LESS MACHINERY BUT MORE PERSONALITY,
WE'RE VISITING ONE
OF THE COUNTLESS ALSATIAN FAMILY WINERIES.
IN THE ALSACE,
WINERIES ARE TYPICALLY PASSED FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.
STEVE'S FRIEND DOMINIQUE
CARRIES ON HIS FAMILY'S WINE-MAKING TRADITION.
THIS IS MY CELLAR.
THIS IS THE OLDEST BARREL IN THE CELLAR.
IT WAS MADE FOR MY GRAND-GRANDFATHER.
"M" IS "MANDRACE," AND THE OTHER "M" IS...
SO MY GRANDFATHER AND THE GRAND-GRANDFATHER.
SO, TWO FAMILIES. THIS IS THE EDELZWICKER.
THAT'S THE ONLY BLENDED ALSATIAN WHITE WINE.
SO ALL THE OTHER WINES
ALL THE OTHER WINES ARE MADE ONLY WITH ONE GRAPE.
AND THE WINE IS NAMED AFTER THE GRAPE.
RIESLINGS AND THE SPICY GEWURZTRAMINER
ARE THE FINE WINES OF ALSACE.
THE UNIQUE GEWURZTRAMINER AND ALSATIAN CUISINE
ARE A PERFECT MATCH.
APART FROM AN OPPORTUNITY TO TASTE SOME GREAT WINE,
A VISIT LIKE THIS GAINS US A FEW ALSATIAN FRIENDS
AND SOME HELP SINGING THE FRENCH NATIONAL ANTHEM.
[ all singing in French ]
[ singing fades ]
CELLAR-HOPPING AND WINE-SHOPPING
IS A GREAT WAY TO SPEND AN AFTERNOON
ON THE ROUTE DES VINS.
ROADSIDE DEGUSTATION SIGNS MEAN "WINE TASTERS WELCOME."
WITH FREE TASTING AND INEXPENSIVE BOTTLES,
FRENCH WINE TASTING CAN BE AN AFFORDABLE SPORT.
COLMAR IS A SCENIC HOME BASE FOR OUR ALSATIAN EXPLORATIONS.
LONG POPULAR WITH FRENCH AND GERMAN TOURISTS,
THIS WELL-PRESERVED OLD TOWN OF 70,000
IS OVERLOOKED AND UNDERRATED BY OVERSEES TRAVELERS.
HISTORIC BEAUTY WAS RARELY AN EXCUSE
TO BE SPARED THE RAVAGES OF WORLD WAR II,
BUT IT WORKED FOR THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY IN THE ALSACE.
THE AMERICAN AND BRITISH MILITARY WERE CAREFUL
NOT TO BOMB QUAINTLY COBBLED COLMAR.
TODAY, COLMAR NOT ONLY SURVIVES, IT THRIVES
WITH 15th- AND 16th-CENTURY BUILDINGS, RICH ART TREASURES,
AND POPULAR CUISINE.
COLMAR'S CHARMS ARE ROOTED IN A WEALTHY MEDIEVAL PAST.
FIFTEENTH-CENTURY COLMAR WAS ONE OF TEN CITIES
THAT JOINED TOGETHER TO MAKE THE DECAPOLIS,
A LEAGUE OF TRADING CITIES.
AS MERCHANTS MET IN THIS CUSTOMS HOUSE,
THEY WERE CREATING A NEW ECONOMIC ORDER.
TRADING LEAGUES WERE REACTING TO THE BUSINESS PROBLEMS
THAT CAME WITH FEUDALISM.
NO UNIFORM CURRENCY, DIFFERENT WEIGHTS AND MEASURES,
TERRIBLE DUTIES EVERY FEW MILES.
THIS WAS GOOD FOR THE NOBILITY,
MEDIEVAL EUROPE'S RURAL LANDLORDS,
BUT A CHAOTIC NIGHTMARE FOR CITY MERCHANTS.
TO REMOVE THOSE BARRIERS TO FREE TRADE,
MANY MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN CITIES BANDED TOGETHER
TO FORM TRADING LEAGUES, LIKE THE DECAPOLIS.
THIS PROUDLY DECORATED 16th-CENTURY BUILDING
WAS THE HOME OF A WEALTHY COLMAR MERCHANT.
IN THOSE DAYS,
HOUSES WERE TAXED BY SQUARE FOOTAGE AT STREET LEVEL,
AN INCENTIVE TO BUILD BOTH UP AND OUT.
ORIGINALLY, COLMAR'S CANALS WERE BUSY TRANSPORTING GOODS.
TODAY, THIS CANAL ONLY ADDS TO THE AMBIENCE
IN A NEIGHBORHOOD LOCALS CALL LA PETITE VENICE,
THE LITTLE VENICE.
COLMAR'S KNACK FOR TRADE AND ITS LOCAL INDUSTRIES,
SUCH AS THE LEATHER BUSINESS IN THIS TANNERS' QUARTER,
ADDED UP TO A STRONG ECONOMY.
PROSPERITY FROM TRADE MEANT MONEY FOR ART,
AND COLMAR HAD MORE THAN ITS SHARE.
THREE GREAT ARTISTS, BARTHOLDI, SCHONGAUER, AND GRUNEWALD,
CALLED COLMAR HOME.
THE FREDERIC BARTHOLDI MUSEUM HONORS THE GREAT SCULPTOR
WHO CREATED THE STATUE OF LIBERTY,
A GIFT FROM FRANCE TO THE UNITED STATES
ON ITS 100th BIRTHDAY.
THE MUSEUM OFFERS INTERESTING HISTORICAL DETAIL
DESCRIBING THE CREATION OF LADY LIBERTY
AND DISPLAYS MANY OF BARTHOLDI'S SCULPTURES.
HE ADORNED HIS HOMETOWN WITH MANY STATUES,
MOST, IT SEEMS, WITH ONE ARM HELD HIGH.
FOUR HUNDRED YEARS BEFORE BARTHOLDI,
MARTIN SCHONGAUER WAS COLMAR'S LEADING ARTIST.
HIS VIRGIN OF THE ROSE GARDEN LOOKS AS FRESH AND CRISP
AS THE DAY IT WAS PAINTED IN 1473.
IT'S MAGNIFICENTLY SET IN A GOTHIC DOMINICAN CHURCH,
SURROUNDED BY 14th-CENTURY STAINED GLASS.
THE LATIN WORDS ON MARY'S HALO READ,
"PICK ME ALSO FOR YOUR CHILD, OH, HOLY VIRGIN."
AND FOR SCHONGAUER, NATURE IS MORE THAN A BACKDROP.
MARY AND JESUS ARE ENCIRCLED BY IT.
THE WAY JESUS HOLDS HIS MOTHER, THE LATIN MESSAGE,
AND THE PROMINENCE OF NATURE
ALL WORK TO DRIVE HOME THE THEOLOGICAL POINT:
MARY IS ACCESSIBLE.
A FEW BLOCKS AWAY, THE UNTERLINDEN MUSEUM,
MY VOTE FOR THE BEST SMALL MUSEUM IN EUROPE,
FILLS A 750-YEAR-OLD FORMER CONVENT.
MATHIAS GRUNEWALD'S GRIPPING ISENHEIM ALTARPIECE
IS THE MUSEUM'S MOST IMPORTANT WORK.
A MODEL SHOWS HOW THIS IS A SERIES OF PAINTINGS
ON HINGES THAT PIVOT LIKE SHUTTERS.
TO UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE
OF THIS PARTICULARLY GRUESOME CRUCIFIXION SCENE,
IT HELPS TO KNOW WHO PAID FOR IT.
THE ISENHEIM ALTARPIECE WAS COMMISSIONED 500 YEARS AGO
BY A MONASTERY HOSPITAL FILLED WITH PEOPLE
SUFFERING TERRIBLE SKIN DISEASES,
A COMMON CAUSE OF DEATH BACK THEN.
THE HOSPITAL'S GOAL, LONG BEFORE THE AGE OF PAINKILLERS,
WAS TO REMIND PATIENTS
THAT JESUS UNDERSTOOD THEIR SUFFERING.
THE MANY PANELS LED PATIENTS
THROUGH A SERIES OF BIBLE STORIES
CULMINATING WITH THIS REASSURING RESURRECTION SCENE.
[ pan sizzling ]
THE OTHER GREAT FRENCH ART IN THE ALSACE IS EDIBLE ART.
ALSATIAN CUISINE IS WORLD-FAMOUS.
EVEN VACATIONERS TRAVELING ON A SHOESTRING
SHOULD SPRING FOR A FINE MEAL IN ALSACE.
IN OUR FRANCE GUIDEBOOK,
STEVE AND I RECOMMEND A SPLURGE AT RESTAURANT LE RAPP.
STEVE'S FRIEND BERNARD RUNS THE RESTAURANT,
AND HE'S TAKING OUR TASTE BUDS
ON A TOUR THROUGH THE CULINARY TREATS OF ALSACE.
WHAT ELSE DO YOU RECOMMEND, BERNARD?
PERHAPS THE ESCARGOT?
SNAILS?
SNAILS.
NOW, I THINK OF SNAILS AS BURGUNDIAN.
IT'S THE SAME WAY, BUT IN BURGUNDY,
THEY PUT ONLY THE BUTTER AND THE HERBS AND THE GARLIC,
AND IN ALSACE, THEY PUT ALSO A BOUILLON WITH BUTTER.
THE SNAILS WERE EXCELLENT, AND FOR THE MAIN COURSE,
IT'S QUICHE, LAMB, AND CHICKEN,
ALL PREPARED WITH AN ALSATIAN FLARE.
PACE YOURSELF.
THE MEALS ARE SERVED IN COURSES, ABOUT FIVE OR SIX,
AND EACH ONE DELICIOUS.
AND DON'T MISS THE CHEESE COURSE.
IT'S STANDARD BEFORE DESSERT.
WHILE THE FRENCH CLAIM IT HELPS THE DIGESTION,
FOR US, IT'S SIMPLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAMPLE
SOME OF THE WORLD'S BEST CHEESES WITH GREAT RED WINE.
SO YOU HAVE CAMEMBERT, WHICH COMES FROM NORMANDY,
ROQUEFORT, IT'S A BLEU CHEESE,
COMTE, IT COMES FROM THE JURA.
THAT'S A GOAT CHEESE.
THIS IS BLEU D AUVERGNE, AND THIS IS A LOCAL CHEESE.
IT'S A MUENSTER.
AH. I'D LIKE SOME MUENSTER.
AFTER THE CHEESE,
WE TOP OFF THE EVENING WITH A TASTY, LIGHT DESSERT.
STEVE, WHAT IS THIS CALLED?
HEY. IT'S CALLED "MINE."
[ laughter ]
WE'VE ENJOYED OUR VISIT TO COLMAR
AND OUR STAY AT MAISON JUND.
SMALL FAMILY-RUN HOTELS LIKE THIS
ARE ONE OF THE GREAT
ACCOMMODATIONS VALUES IN EUROPE.
NOW IT'S TIME TO CONTINUE OUR TRAVELS.
WE'RE ON THE WAY TO THREE HISTORICAL DESTINATIONS:
REIMS, EPERNAY, AND OUR FIRST STOP, VERDUN.
FACING SQUARELY TOWARD GERMANY,
VERDUN HAS BEEN FRANCE'S LOGICAL POINT OF DEFENSE
AND ITS PRINCIPAL FORTRESS SINCE THE LATE 1800s.
VERDUN OFFERS A MEMORABLE CHANCE TO REVISIT WORLD WAR I.
NOW EVEN THE SURVIVORS OF THAT WAR HAVE DIED,
AND LITTLE REMAINS TO REMIND US OF THE CARNAGE.
BUT EUROPE STILL WEARS THE SCARS
OF THE WAR THAT DID NOT END ALL WARS.
VERDUN IS A CHILLING REMINDER
OF ONE OF THE MOST COSTLY BATTLES OF WORLD WAR I.
700,000 DIED AS WAVES OF GERMANS AND FRENCH
FOUGHT TO TAKE AND RETAKE
THE MILES OF TRENCHES AND FORTS.
THE MEMORIAL MUSEUM DE FLEURY SHOWS RECONSTRUCTED SCENES
AND MODELS OF THE TRENCH WARFARE
THAT RAGED ALONG THE WESTERN FRONT
FOR OVER FOUR YEARS.
CASUALTY FIGURES WERE NUMBING AS DAY AFTER DAY,
HEROES OF 19th-CENTURY WARS WAVED THEIR SWORDS
AND THOUSANDS OF TROOPS CLIMBED OUT OF THEIR TRENCHES
AND RAN INTO THE BULLETS OF 20th-CENTURY MACHINE GUNS.
AT THE MUCH-PUMMELED FORT DOUAUMONT,
YOU CAN TOUR AN UNDERGROUND BUNKER AND TUNNELS
AND SEE THE REMNANTS OF A WORLD WAR I COMMAND CENTER.
THE OSSUAIRE DE DOUAUMONT
IS THE THOUGHT-PROVOKING CULMINATION
OF ANY VISIT TO VERDUN.
THIS HUGE TOMB IS THE FINAL RESTING PLACE
OF 130,000 UNIDENTIFIED FRENCH AND GERMANS
WHO DIED IN THE MUDDY TRENCHES OF VERDUN.
THIS WAS A BATTLE OF ATTRITION,
WHEN TWO NATIONS, OR AT LEAST THEIR LEADERS,
DECIDED TO BASH THEIR HEADS AGAINST EACH OTHER,
CALCULATING THAT THE OTHER
WOULD BLEED WHITE AND DROP FIRST.
WORLD WAR I LEFT HALF OF ALL THE MEN IN FRANCE
BETWEEN THE AGES OF 15 AND 30 DEAD OR WOUNDED.
IT'S A POWERFUL, SOMBER EXPERIENCE.
FROM A SHOCKING LESSON IN 20th-CENTURY WARFARE,
WE MAKE OUR WAY NEXT TO THE CATHEDRAL IN REIMS
FOR A VISIT TO ONE OF EUROPE'S GREATEST GOTHIC CATHEDRALS.
THIS AUTOROUTE ZIPS US QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY ACROSS FRANCE.
THE ONLY REASON TO STOP IS TO PAY THE MODEST TOLLS
AND TO ENJOY SOME OF EUROPE'S SLICKEST REST STOPS.
THE THOUGHTFUL FRENCH DECORATE THEIR FREEWAYS WITH MODERN ART
AND LABEL THE SIGHTS WE'LL BE PASSING BY.
WE'LL BE IN REIMS IN 31 KILOMETERS.
THAT'S ABOUT 20 MILES.
FOR LOCALS, REIMS IS "RANCE."
IT RHYMES WITH "FRANCE."
THE CATHEDRAL OF REIMS IS A GLORIOUS EXAMPLE
OF GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE.
IN A MOMENT, WE'LL TOUR THE CATHEDRAL,
BUT FIRST, LET'S SEE HOW IT'S BUILT.
STEVE AND I LIKE TO ILLUSTRATE THE STRUCTURE
OF A GOTHIC CHURCH BY BUILDING ONE OUT OF TOURISTS.
IT ONLY TAKES 13,
SIX COLUMNS, SIX BUTTRESSES, AND A SPIRE.
COLUMNS AND RIBS SUPPORT THE SPIRE.
ARCHITECTURALLY-SPEAKING, THESE ARE RIBS.
FORGET THE ELBOWS.
FOUR RIBS COME TOGETHER TO MAKE A POINTED ARCH,
WHICH SUPPORTS THE SPIRE.
IN GOTHIC, YOU'VE GOT POINTED ARCHES NOT ROUND ARCHES.
THIS IS A GOTHIC INNOVATION
WHICH SENDS THE WEIGHT OF THE ROOF OUT RATHER THAN DOWN.
THEREFORE, WE NEED BUTTRESSES TO SUPPORT THE WALLS.
WITH OUR BUTTRESSES IN PLACE,
WE'VE GOT A SOLID GOTHIC STRUCTURE,
MORE WINDOWS THAN EVER,
AND A SPIRE THAT'LL NEVER FALL.
LETS GO TO THE CHURCH. THANKS.
AU REVOIR! MERCI!
GOTHIC ARCHITECTS ORGANIZED BUTTRESSES, RIBS,
AND POINTED ARCHES,
SENDING WALLS SOARING HIGH ABOVE OPEN AND AIRY INTERIORS.
THE SUN POURS THROUGH THE UPPER WINDOWS,
REMINDING US OF THE SYMBOLIC IMPORTANCE
OF LIGHT TO MEDIEVAL CHRISTIANS.
AND THE CHURCH IS FILLED WITH HISTORY AS WELL AS LIGHT.
THIS GREAT CATHEDRAL WAS THE CORONATION SITE
OF 800 YEARS OF FRENCH KINGS AND QUEENS.
IN 1429, A YOUNG AND CHARISMATIC JOAN OF ARC
STOOD NEXT TO A RELUCTANT CHARLES VII
TO ENSURE HE ACCEPTED THE CROWN OF FRANCE.
IN WORLD WAR I,
THE CATHEDRAL WAS BADLY DAMAGED BY HEAVY BOMBING.
MOST OF THE STAINED GLASS WAS DESTROYED.
TODAY, THE CATHEDRAL IS RESTORED
AND HOUSES MANY OLD TREASURES AS WELL AS A MODERN ONE:
THIS 20th-CENTURY STAINED GLASS,
CREATED BY CONTEMPORARY ARTIST MARC CHAGALL.
TO CATCH OUR SIGHTSEEING BREATH BETWEEN BLOCKBUSTER SIGHTS,
WE ENJOY RELAXING AT FRENCH CAFES.
THROUGHOUT FRANCE, THEY'RE CAREFULLY POSITIONED VIEWPOINTS
FROM WHICH TO WATCH THE RIVER OF LOCAL LIFE.
CAFES OFFER QUICK MEALS
FOR NEARLY THE SAME PRICE AS FAST-FOOD CHAINS.
LOOK FOR THE PLAT DU JOUR. THAT'S THE BLUE PLATE SPECIAL.
WITH A FEW KEY PHRASES,
YOU CAN GET AN EGG ON TOP OF YOUR GRILLED-CHEESE SANDWICH
OR JUST THE RIGHT SALAD.
BREAD AND WATER ARE FREE.
TO GET MORE, POLITELY ASK "ENCORE, S'IL VOUS PLAIT."
NEXT UP, EPERNAY IN THE REGION CALLED CHAMPAGNE.
VINTNERS HERE INSIST THEIR AREA IS THE ONLY PLACE
ENTITLED TO CALL ITS BUBBLY BY THAT NAME.
OUR VISIT BEGINS AT MOET ET CHANDON,
ONE OF THE GRAND CHAMPAGNE HOUSES OF THE REGION.
THEY WELCOME VISITORS HERE WITH FASCINATING TOURS.
THE STORY THEY TELL IS THAT AROUND 1700,
AFTER LOTS OF FIDDLING WITH DOUBLE FERMENTATION,
ONE OF THE MONKS DEVELOPED THE FIRST CHAMPAGNE.
THE NOW-FAMOUS MONK, DOM PERIGNON,
RAN THROUGH THE ABBEY SHOUTING EXCITEDLY,
"BROTHERS, COME QUICKLY! I'M DRINKING STARS!"
SINCE THEN, THIS BUBBLY, SPARKLY WHITE WINE
IS SYNONYMOUS WITH A FIRST-CLASS CELEBRATION
THE WORLD OVER.
Female guide: YOU CAN SEE OUR ENOTECA.
WE KEEP IN THIS OUR OLDEST BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE.
THERE ARE 4,000 OF OLD CHAMPAGNES
STILL AGING IN THIS ENOTECA.
THE OLDEST ONE DATES BACK TO 1869.
THE VINEYARDS OVERHEAD CONCEAL A LABYRINTH
OF SOME 30 MILES OF WINE CAVES
MEANDERING INTO THE SURROUNDING HILLS.
OUR TOUR CONCLUDES
WITH ONE MORE SALUTE TO FRENCH CULTURE.
WELL, THIS GLASS IS EMPTY, AND OUR VISIT'S OVER.
VIVE LA FRANCE!
THANKS, STEVE, FOR ALL THE TRAVEL TIPS.
AND THANK YOU FOR TRAVELING WITH US.
I'M RICK STEVES.
JE SUIS STEVE SMITH.
WISHING YOU HAPPY TRAVELS.
BON VOYAGE. AU REVOIR.