France's bustling, modern Reims greets travelers with cellar doors wide open. As the capital of the Champagne region, it features a lively center, a historic cathedral, and, of course, Champagne ...

France’s bustling, modern Reims greets travellers with cellar doors wide open. As the capital of the Champagne region, it features a lively centre, a historic cathedral, and, of course ...

the Smiling Angel statue that had stood near the front door for centuries lost its head. Unlike the recent fire at Notre Dame de Paris, the assault on Reims Cathedral continued for four years.

But what makes Reims special for the French is the royal connection: 33 kings were crowned here, most famously Charles VII. Next door, in the Palais du Tau (the cathedral museum), we see larger ...

Shrapnel and collapsing structural elements shattered stained glass windows and destroyed pillars and statuary on both sides of the cathedral, decapitating the famous “smiling angel” of Reims.