#10: [22-May-22]

#9: [18-Aug-18]

#8: [22-Dec-14]

#7: [25-Feb-12]

#6: [29-Aug-10]

#5: [04-Jun-10]

#3: [11-Apr-09]

#2: [02-Jan-05]

#1: [12-Aug-00]

28-Aug-2001 -- Although the submission is of November 2009, this was my 3rd visit to a confluence and the 1st with my wife Inge as companion. Together we visited 18 (17 unique) confluence's. Sadly though she passed away 3 years ago due to cancer. It took me 8 ½ years to write this narrative and prepare the images.

At August the 27th (of 2001) we entered the region from the north heading for a camping site in Epernay. Close to Epernay a panoramic viewpoint is indicated on the map: Mutigny. From there we had the first view to the CP. The Butte de Saran (Hill of Saran) which contains the CP is at the utmost right of the photograph. We are in the Champaign region and we already bought some wine.

Next day we packed the tent and other stuff and went for the CP. We abandoned the car and strolled through the fields with grain and through vineyards to the CP, the lower track marked by green “wandereres”. The CP is in the forest that is on top of the Butte de Saran, a hill that elevates 100-150 meter of the surrounding fields.

The forest is dense and as I was not yet fully accustomed to my GPS it was difficult to find the “no minutes, no seconds” position. The picture of the GPS is made at 16 m North and 7 m East of the CP (according to the display); the image with the detailed track shows the track in the forest. To show a better impression of the general landscape the directional photographs are taken outside the forest at the spot marked with the camera sign at 120 m NE of the CP.

Again due to my inexperience at the time I took photographs in the direction North, North-East and North-West only. The South-West view is taken from a position 1 km north-west of the CP and shows a view of the hill with the CP and the vineyards at the slopes.

Looking at the French internet site Geoportail.fr and activating the layer “parcelles cadastrale” I was astonished by the large number of very small parcels at the border of the forest. The CP is in a parcel of 6 meter by 55 meter only, my GPS photograph was taken in the next parcel.

As already said this is the region of the Champaign. A map taken from The World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson published in Dutch in 1973 shows the CP area and the vineyards. In the village of Epernay you find the “Boulevard de Champagne” where all the important champaign houses have impressive and representative villas. On our way we found a small champaign co-operation and were allowed to have a look around and of course bought some bottles.