Tours, tastings and a road trip day on the cards today. After our French breakfast, they do the opposite to what we would do at home so rolls, meat and cheese are the general offerings. Cereal is available but only as a token gesture. Generally will get fresh fruit and we are seeing that they now place a commercial boiler in the breakfast room and you boil an egg. You have a timer attached that runs at best a tad less than 3 minutes, the unit fits 6 eggs. Just imagine the crowd I attract when others place their egg in and pull it out for the next to use after a mere 3 minutes, I turn the timer once, twice, three times and then just for luck one more time - does indeed bank the line up at the egg cooker - another Ned Kelly moment for the egg waiters.

Anyhow set out for our tour of houses ( the in term and when in champagne), forgot to mention our timing into this area, yesterday, Thursday, was a bank holiday due to the date being the end of the Second World War so many houses closed along with most of the retail businesses . The French also have some Aussie in them as today, being a Friday all of the processing side of the houses are also closed. We find as we travel through the country side most of the small houses are also closed. Also the snob ones take one look at us and say appointment only, was keen to look through Billiecart-Salmon but alas John has the wrong colour socks on.

We took a Champagne tourist route through the countryside south, right along the vine growing appellation contrôlée. There are so many small houses that you have no understanding about, they would be in the hundreds. Now for the little nugget of absolute gold.

We, the house of Lucas actually have our very own understated Chateau, it is located in the small village of Etoges which is about 20 minutes south of Epernay, well if you could see the smile on my dial. The place is neat as a pin, John remarked that the hedges were as straight and crisp as he had seen, see a little bit of Ken, more evidence that the house is soon to be handed to the rightful clan section! We rock up and the mother says bonjour we the same . She is stretched with the English bit so her daughter steps in, the mother ecstatic and overjoyed (understandably) that I was a Lucas - the saviour has arrived so roll up my sleeves and get stuck in, well into the sampling at least. Not a doubt in my mind some of the very best French fizz going around. The daughter is 4th generation with her husband in the business, they have 14 hectares of vines with some in the Grand Cru area - this is a big deal. They produce on average 100,000 bottles each vintage and is all sold to very astute affectionados so none in the shops for the mug punter. Once at the zenith no need to linger so onward James (actually John) to other pastures.

The next paddock we find ourselves in is the one of Burgundy, arrive in the beautiful city of Auxerre, located in the very north of Burgundy. This place, especially where we have camped is incredible and so visually stunning. We take a walk down lanes and back alley ways that are alive with the locals going about their day to day activities . They take the surroundings all in their stride, to us we are not sure where to look next, this place is hundreds and hundreds of years old and still seems untouched, the main ABC was started in the 13 century and still not completed today, the people are not ones to rush things. Evident of the trading hours they work to, they can have up to 2.5 hours for lunch where they shut up shop, food shops the lot.

We track down the standard French fare for our picnic by the Yonne river, maybe we will wash it down with some average bubbles from the last region, always seem to be playing catch up, so much to do so little time. Check out the the pics, we attracted attention as the locals wandered by, defiantly a this is the life moment.

Tonight is the very first night that we have been provided blankets to sleep under, all other times it has been those damn donnas. It is just the little things.

Average day around really !!!