Travel & Hotspots
DIARY: WITH RUINART
TO PARIS AND REIMS
When the champagne house Ruinart asks if you want to spend two days with them in Paris to see the new exhibition by Erwin Olaf you naturally say yes. We all love Erwin Olaf, we love Ruinart (especially May, by the way, it's her ultimate favorite champagne) and we absolutely love Paris.
I had already taken the train to Paris on Monday and joined the Ruinart group on Wednesday. Together with Anne from the PR agency Ganbaroo, Stasja from ELLE Eten, and Sylvia from FD Persoonlijk, I entered the world of Ruinart for 24 hours. That world began at Hôtel du Louvre, a posh hotel right across from, indeed, the Louvre. When I checked in, the girl at the desk said I had received an upgrade, and once in my room, it turned out to be a gigantic ballroom. With high ceilings, large windows, red curtains, and an enormous bed. It started off well.
The program began with a private viewing of Erwin's photo series, which I already told you all about yesterday. Together with Erwin and a glass of Ruinart in hand, we walked past the photos, receiving explanations that brought everything to life even more. Once that was done, we walked 50 meters to Café Ruc, which is right across from our hotel. Ruc is one of the most interesting places in Paris, where during Fashion Week, there is certainly a constant flow of famous and attractive people. We parked ourselves under a heater, ordered a bottle of white wine and a cheese platter, and enjoyed the Parisian world passing by us.
After that, a little touch-up moment in the room, because the next part was a cocktail in the exhibition space. Hundreds of well-dressed people gathered, looked, and drank. It was so incredibly chic, the men so incredibly handsome, just everything you could want. After that, we were still quite hungry, so bravely we walked to Hôtel Costes, where a snobby lady at the door seated us somewhere in a corner. We were not going to do that. You pay exorbitant amounts there, which is only fun if you are in a good spot.
So we left. To the neighbors. A small terrace where we again, you wouldn't expect it, ordered cheese and wine. And then a tall blonde in a tracksuit walked outside. Took a double take, but hey, that was really Lara Stone! She was walking in the Miu Miu show that afternoon and still had her hair and makeup on, and combined with that baggy tracksuit, it created a delightful model-off-duty look.
After a lovely night in my gigantic princess bed, we drove to Reims at 09:00, the region where all champagne comes from. There we went into the cellars where the bottles are aging until they are ready for sale, and together with Erwin, we walked through the corridors where he took his now iconic photos. Those cellars are incredibly impressive, and if you ever find yourself in Reims, definitely book a tour. You won't believe your eyes.
After the tour, the tasting (pop) and a little history lesson, it was time for lunch. Beautifully dressed round tables were waiting for us, delicious food on the plates, and cheerfully sparkling Ruinart champagne in the glasses. And then it was already over. In an extremely sexy Range Rover, we sped back to Paris, to Gare du Nord, where the Thalys took us back to Amsterdam. It was hard work, but someone had to do it, right.
