Fragrant blooms, fresh olives, plump jams, flakey croissants, fish, meats, prime, ripe veges and fruits in a multitude of colours, textures and tastes. And don't get me started on the local cheese and pate! Brie, Roquefort, Chevre, Boursin and others that I have no hope of ever pronouncing, where so delicious slathered onto freshly baked crusty bread and farm fresh churned-this-morning butter. I'm so glad that we're treading the pavement for hours a day or all this indulgence will catch up, but who cares, when in Rome....or is that Reims?

Market day every Saturday 8.30am until noon, Reims centre

A trip to champagne was always on my list of things to do before I visit the pearly gates. Our stay Dormans, Champagne, was so relaxed and comfortable due to the beautiful house that we rented for 10 days. La Maison du Clos Rigaux is run by the charming Isabelle and was immaculate, elegant and styled with classic French flair. If you're heading that way, take it from us, we were very impressed! I've taken some photos from Isabelle's website because we trashed the joint with all our bags and ended up un-photo-worthy

When in the little village of Dormans, head up to Silvan Suty tearooms in Luxembourg Square. Silvan and his wife run the little eatery overflowing with freshly made patisseries, chocolates and teas. But the lunches were the best...you're greeted with pate on arrival and we quite often had a simple salad beautifully presented (similar to a top restaurant without the price tag) with a glass of local French champagne. Of course, follow up the 'salty' delights with dessert. Each dessert had a chocolate formed from a champagne cap. Yum

They don't call me Champagne Cate for nothing. My love for the bubbles lead us to the stunning area of Champagne in France. Breathtaking panoramas of gently rolling hills bursting with vines and tiny antique villages dotted throughout the countryside is a 'must-see' for any Champagne enthusiast. We stayed in Dormans, about a half hour out of Reims and Epernay, the perfect location to sample the liquid gold 

The food is sensational where ever you eat...in Reims we ate at Hall Place, a champagne bar and I had the carpaccio of beef. Divine. Finish lunch with an Eclair and life is good

The top picture is of the war memorial and the surrounding vineyards. The 1914 -1918 war devastated the town – 80% of the town was completely destroyed during the fierce fighting that went on here during the second Battle of the Marne

The military cemetery in Dormans is the final resting place of 3,885 French and German combatants. Visiting these peaceful lands, it's hard to believe such horrors existed early last century