Les Chourettes to Chavasse Farm, Hardecourte-aux-Bois Sunday 16th May 2016

A hectic morning spent packing and cleaning before heading off to our next accommodation. Fortunately we had some groceries left over from our stay in Eclance as we had not realized this was another public holiday weekend and today most of the supermarkets closed early, or did not even open up. So with pooled left overs we had an interesting but nourishing dinner.

On the way here we stopped off in Epernay to tour the Mercier Champagne house. Part of the tour involved a train ride 30 metres underground in the cellars, packed with thousands of bottles of champagne and finished off with a glass of champagne.

We arrived at Chavasse Farm in the heart of the Somme, where Noel Chavasse won his first VC, here where tank fought tank for the first time, the Canadians mounted a cavalry charge, where the Red Baron was brought down,  where Australian Albert Jacka, VC won the MC and where the 'Big Red 1' took part in the first American Army assault of the War. Tomorrow we intend to visit many of the 1916 Battlefields and pay our respects in the war cemeteries.

Champagne tasting

Champagne bottles in one of th many tunnels of Mercier

Wine barrel made from Hungarian oak trees. Holds champagne for 200,000 bottles. Mercier took this barrel to Paris for the 1889 Expo, the same event which unveiled the Efflel Tower.