Friday, August 12, 2016

Walking Around Reims

Reims is about 18 square miles and easily navigated with local trams and buses. Most of the town can be covered walking, and the Tourist Office has a handy map with the best route to take if you wish to explore the town on foot. The City Hall is magnificent both in the daytime and at nightfall (see the pic at the end of this post).
 You can see the Cathedral from most points in the town to get your bearings.
 Some of the older original buildings are now storefronts, like this one for a pharmacy.
The streets are amazingly clean and well maintained; it was almost shocking to me that I only saw ONE instance of dog poo during our entire four day stay!
 The big marché (market) in town is located very close to the train station and has many entrances,
 but nearly all the stalls were empty for the summer,

with only three hardy merchants open in the entire place!
The marché was once a warren of buildings including this across the street, but everything is now under one modern structure with better lighting and insulation.
Some sites buildings are now multi-use buildings housing businesses and residences, 
 but you can see the remnants of what used to be storage and transport facilities.
Reims was also an historic stop for Joan of Arc.

 Not everything in Reims is historical or old; modern buildings dot the city.
Summer in France is the season of tourists in Paris, but in Reims, it's just slow season, meaning nearly every place that is open is staffed by students, and you have your choice of seats.
As the sun sets the City Hall begins to light up,
 providing a beautiful night time show of changing colors:)

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