Taken during an incredibly whirlwind tour of the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. Reims is the largest city in the region (and the TGV entry point) and the cathedral (built in 1211) is the centerpiece of the city. I might like it slightly better than the Paris Notre Dame cathedral actually, both the facade and the interiors are full of exquisite detail. Also, French kings were crowned here. Well worth a visit, the region is home to some delightful villages such a Verzy, Bouzy & Ay - each having a number of superb Champagne houses. My trip report and more pictures from the region can be seen in this post.
The small houses are great! Guy Dumangin is a small producer that we originally met at a tasting in NC (they only export 5-10% of their wine and it's through one importer in NC). Their Millésime was only 18 euro at bottle. We bought the most wine there.
Henri Giraud was amazing. Their known for aging in oak, so if you don't like a lot of oak you won't like it. But their Grand Cru champagne was unbelievable (but pricey).
Those were our favorite. We only spent 1.5 days in Champagne, there were more wine regions to explore! But hopefully we'll make it back someday.