It doesn't get much better than this! This morning we were in Bourg France. It was 59 degrees moving to the low 70s. We went to the Aquavit Terrace for a coffee, croissant, yogurt, and fresh strawberries. We then got off the ship for our morning excursion. On the dock were all the supplies (mostly food and beverage) that have to be manually toted onboard the ship across the same gangway we come and go by (a labor intensive task). Oliver, the the Cruise Director, was busy taking inventory.
Lined up in the parking lot were 20 electric bikes and our two guides led by Alexandre. We took a few spins around the parking lot to get the "wobbles" out and understand how the controls respond. These bikes were "pedal assist" which means you must be pedaling for the power to kick in. They responded very nicely and were fun to ride.
Every couple kilometers we would stop and Alexandre would tell us about the area and what we were seeing. His English had a very heavy French accent which was endearing. The paved road we were on followed along the Gironde River.
Too bad I couldn't take pictures as I was riding as the experience we had was phenomenal. It was like we were part of a movie being filmed to capture biking through the French countryside. For awhile we would be riding through small little towns with the road lined by small and not so small homes.
Then we would break out into the vineyards and be able to see thousands of rows of vines. The bud break has occurred and there were itsy-bitsy grapes just forming on the vines.
On occasion we would come to an intersection so it was nice to have our second guide along who would ride ahead and stop any cross traffic for us. It was so refreshing, the pleasant breeze blowing in our face as we riding along at 10-25 km/hr. We did have to climb up (and go down) several significant grades for short distances but the power-assist made pedaling easy.
In one village there is a church, with existing sections being constructed in the 11th century.
It did have a musty spell to it as you would expect in a very old, stone building. Throughout the country we have been amazed by the good job they have done in cleaning the limestone taking it back to its original, butternut color. Years of burning coal for heat and pollution turned many of these facilities black in color. Now they are beautiful again.
Riding out in the vineyards we went by many chateaus. Chateau is French for house. For a wine to bear the name of a chateau it must be made from the best grapes grown on that site, and the grapes must be made into wine on that site. To be "classified" and receive an AOC seal it must be approved by the local authority. To place the name of the district on the wine label it must receive the AOC certification, here it would be "Cotes-de-Bourg". Only wine with AOC certification can be exported from the region. Wine made but not certified is sold in local markets and restaurants. Below is Chateau Cayac, a rather ornate looking building.
Alexandre lives in a house, a chateau. If he made wine in his garage (maybe a dozen bottles) he could label it as Chateau Alexandre. However, it is highly unlikely it could receive AOC certification, so he could not identify it as being a product of the Bourg region. About all he could do with his wine would be to sell it to his friends in the local area.
Root stock in the region is used for 60 to 80 years. Roots 40 to 50 years old produce some of the best wine. At some point, however, they do not support growth as much so they must be replaced. I love how Alexandre put it ... "Vines and people have much in common. The older you get the better you get but maybe not so productive." These were 80 year old roots.
The final stop on our 3 hour, 15 km ride was a restaurant overlooking the river and our ship. We had plates of croissants and chocolatine (pastry with chocolate), a coffee and local juice.
They had a phenomenal wine cellar of local wines. Very good wines were available from 8€ to 11€. High quality local wines were available for 25€ to 40€ (1 euro = $1.13). I wish Willamette Valley wines were so reasonably priced.
There is no better way to see Bordeaux than to do it by bike. You can see and appreciate much more of what there is to see, at a pace and up close that you really enjoy it. We will definitely be looking for more bicycle tours in the future.
And that was all before lunch. The captain was waiting for us to return so he could begin sailing to our next destination, Blaye.
Our tour guide, Elaineme, walked us all over this huge structure designed in the shape of a star for defensive purposes. There are original barracks for the soldiers in the courtyard, officer quarters, and administrative buildings (many turned into shops and restaurants). The Citadel was built around an existing medieval castle, parts of which are still in existence.
Also remaining are a set of four cannon bunkers outside the wall of the citadel, built and manned by the Nazi's to control traffic on the river during the war.
According to our guide, the doors on the Citadel are the original wooden doors from the 17th century. Defenses included drawbridges, ditches (dry moats), multiple sets of gates, and swinging guillotine like blades that would automatically release from the ceiling if people came uninvited through the entry.
Today it was getting warm, around 77 degrees. We found ourselves getting tired both from all our activities and the temperature. We headed back to the boat, took a shower, and then attended the reception for return Viking passengers. Jack and Susan invited us to join them for dinner and share the bottle of Merlot they purchased at a Chateau they had visited the day before. It was very good. We spent some time on our veranda this evening watching the sunset.
Tomorrow we have a quiet morning. In the afternoon we are visiting an winery, then the whole ship is going to a Chateau for dinner. It should be fun.
Dinner Menu: French Goat Cheese Soufflé, Gambas Sauté Provençale (prawns), Crepes Suzette
Daily Step Count: 9,712 steps AND 15 km by bike
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