Travel & Hotspots
DIARY: TO PARIS AND REIMS
WITH RUINART
When champagne house Ruinart asks you whether you want to head on over to Paris to check out the new Erwin Olaf expositions, obviously your answer is going to be yes. We all love Erwin Olad, we love Ruinart (especially May-Britt, it’s her favorite champagne) and we all definitely all love Paris.
Last Monday I headed to Paris and on Wednesday I joined the Ruinart group, which included some PR people from Amsterdam, ELLE Food and a few other journalists, to be emerged into the world of Ruinart for 24 hours. The world started at Hôtel du Louvre, an über fancy shmancy hotel right next to, yeah you guessed it, the Louvre. When I checked in, the girl behind the counter told me I had been upgraded to another room and as soon as I opened the door, I walked into what looked like a giant ballroom. Sky high ceilings, massive windows, red curtains and a big fat fluffy bed. Couldn’t think of a better way to kick start this day.
On the menu we had a private viewing of a series of photos shot by Erwin, and together with the man in question, we walked around the gallery, glass of Ruinart in hand. Once the tour was over, we headed on over to Café Ruc, about 50 meters away. Ruc is one of the most interesting places in Paris, especially during Fashion Week, because it is packed with good looking and famous people. We sat down under the outdoor heaters, ordered a bottle of white and a plate of cheese and watched the Parisian life pass us by.
Followed by a quick touch-up in our rooms, because we had an evening for drinks marked down in our schedule. Hundreds of beautiful people decked out in chic clothing got together, wandered through the exposition room and drank. After working up an appetite, we headed to Hôtel Costes, where a catty old lady dumped us somewhere in a corner – and that is not what we had in mind. Especially when you pay exorbitant prices, you want to get a proper seat.
So we aborted and went to the neighboring café instead. Another small terrace where we yet again, ordered wine and cheese. And then suddenly a tall blonde in workout gear walked passed us. After a couple of blinks we realized it was Lara Stone! She had walked the Miu Miu runway that afternoon and shift had her makeup on which combined with the workout clothes, made for the perfect model off duty-look.
After a wonderful night in my humongous princess bed, we headed to Reims at 9 AM, the region in France where champagne comes from. We checked out their cellars which were filled with bottles that were waiting to be completely ripe before they got sold and together with Erwin Olaf, we walked through the aisles where he shot his iconic photos. These cellars are so incredibly impressive that I would definitely recommend dropping by for a visit if you are ever in the Reims area. You have no idea what you are in for.
After the tour, the tasting (cheers) and the short history lesson, it was time for lunch. Beautifully decorated round tables were waiting for us, covered with delicious food and bottles of Ruinart ready to be popped. And that was that. In the sexiest Range Rover I’ve ever seen, we cruised back to Paris, straight to Gare du Nord, where our Thalys was waiting for us to take us back home. It was hard work guys, but someone’s got to do it.
