Took a scenic drive through the champagne region, taking in the vineyards and multitude of champagne producers on route. First town we visited was Bar Sur Aube and a stop for fuel. The town gets its name from the river Aube that runs through it.
Fuelled up we moved on to Chaumont. A large town and driving through some of the high rises flats showed us the other side of the town!
Historically, Chaumont was the seat of the Counts of Bassigny and later of Champagne, receiving a charter in 1190. It was the venue of an offensive treaty against Napoleon I signed by the United Kingdom, Austria, Prussia, and Russia in 1814, by which they agreed to continue war until France returned to its 1792 boundaries.
Chaumont was bombed in 1940 and 1944 during World War II. From 1951 to 1967, the United States Air Force under NATO operated the Chaumont-Semoutiers Air Base on the outskirts of the city.
On route we passed one of the many monuments to Charles de Gaulle. This one marks the area that General de Gaulle acquired a residence in 1934, the property of La Boisserie, where he died in 1970.
The current memorial was inaugurated in 2008, replacing a first building inaugurated in 1972, which until then housed a small exhibition and provided access to the monumental Cross of Lorraine, completed the same year.
Next we hit Langres. An impressive town sat up on the hill. Langres is a commune and subprefecture of the department of Haute-Marne, in the region of Grand Est. It has an historic town center surrounded by defensive walls with a dozen towers and seven gates. The most notable attraction is the cathedral of Saint-Mammès, a late 12th-century church dedicated to Mammes of Caesarea, a 3rd-century martyr.
Finally, we arrived at Camping de La Croix d’Arles, our stop of the night. A lovely family friendly site in the scenic Haute-Marne.
The Brindley Boxer 