My Lucky Day At Sea And Bordeaux

Yesterday we were sailing from Guernsey to Bordeaux.  It doesn't seem that far away, but you have to head west out of the channel and then around that horn sticking out of France before heading back east and south.  So a day at sea it was!  We did the usual (and laundry) - BINGO, trivia, nap, happy hour...you know the drill.  We didn't win at BINGO or trivia, but we DID win in the casino...well, at least I did.  $200 playing poker!!  Yay!  And THEN we slayed at the movie scene trivia, correctly answering 29 out of 30.  Yes, we are awesome. 

When we awoke this morning, we were just sailing into the inlet river, Garonne as we approached Bordeaux.

I feel my French coming on

Bordeaux évoques des images de vastes vignobles et vins rouges riches, soleil et bon vivre!  Sorry - Bordeaux conjures images of vast vineyards and deep red winds, sunshine and good living.  And it does not disappoint!  

We had a vineyard tour scheduled, but walked a bit before we had to get on the bus.

Such beautiful promenades

And Miss D'Arc

Our tour took us to a lovely vineyard owned by Tierry Lurton.  His castle/chateau was under renovation, but we were able to walk the grounds and taste the wine.

Just like you'd picture it.  It's early in the season - harvest isn't until September - so the stems are just starting to take hold on the guide lines.

They're not sure how old this castle is - all the records burned in a fire years ago.  Even the people in the nearby village are in disagreement as to when it was built.  They're still doing research to try to pinpoint it's origins.  They are doing renovations to enable people with disabilities to have access.

This is the pigeon roost.  They used to gauge the owner's wealth by the size of the pigeonnaire - this one's pretty big.  And, yes, there were pigeons roosting on top.

The darker stones were some that were burned in the fire.  That, and the stones are local limestone and darken with age and environment.

A grotesque to the side of a door.  Grotesques do not have water spouts like gargoyles.

Gargoyle with some serious gastronomic issues.

Barrel room

Lovely roses alongside the cellars.

A huge lilac bush - the aroma was intoxicating.

After our tour and tasting, we returned to Bordeaux proper.  Joe and I set out to find a cafe and some more wine.  The only thing?  It's Easter Monday.  Yes, that's a thing - it's like a bank holiday to recoved from eating so much chocolate the previous day.  Sooooo many places were closed - it sorta sucked.  While looking for anything open (particularly a cafe or pub - which we found) we wandered the streets and marveled at the local architecture and just the...wow factor of old gates still standing (without the accompanying ramparts).

I mean, you just turn a corner, and, BAM!

BAM

BAM BAM

Reflecting on a lovely day - this is the Place de la Borse (basically just administrative buildings)

We finally headed back to the ship (which seemed to be quite an attraction - docked right in the middle of downtown!)

We walked past the gawkers and went back to our stateroom for a drink on the balcony and a lovely sunset.

We're docked in Bordeaux overnight, and tomorrow morning we head to Le Verdon.  Joe and I will then take a shuttle to Soulac Sur Mer - a seaside resort on the Atlantic Coast.  I'm thinking a cafe, a coffee, a drink or two...  Bon soir!