bordeaux

To catch the fastest train to Bordeaux, we first had a 40min bus ride to the TGV station. Haute Picardie TGV is outside a tiny village seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The train went to Charles de Gaulle airport, around Paris and on to Bordeaux. The journey took 6 ½ hours with one train change. It would have taken at least nine to drive. With blu tac strategically sticking the GPS receiver to the window of the train, Geoff could record the speed at 299kms per hour.

From the train window we could see the changes in house style – a lot more one story houses with creamy/yellow limestone walls with red pantile roof tiles.

Bordeaux city looks a lot different to the other cities we have been in, whilst the building materials are the same, more wide streets and boulevards. There was a lot of clearance of medieval streets and swamps in the 18th. Much of the city is in the Classical Period of the late 1500-1700s. In the wide streets run long sleek trams and articulated buses. We caught a tram from the station.

For our second day we visited some of the medieval streets, but not the swamps. We found a charming square to have lunch in. On ordering the usual salad and demi pitcher we noted that the menu gave the alcohol content of French white wines – 11.5%. We had not seen that before.

We visited the Musee d'Aquitane de Bordeaux which had a stunning collection of prehistoric artifacts found in local grottos and gallo-roman treasures found within the city. There was even fine glasssware. We found the museum both wonderful and overwhelming. We only viewed half the museum and left post 1800s for another time.

We were picked up by the tour company and driven, with a lady from Singapore on her first walking tour, to St Emilion. We had the first day of our tour walking down and up the village. There is the top town on the plateau and the bottom town built around the underground church and catacombs. The underground church started with a cave Emilion lived in until 767. The church was carved out of the limestone between the 8thC and 12thC and is 38m long, 20m wide and 11m high. Above is the vault for the ropes of the bells and the belfry towers over the upper town.

At dinner we were offered a bottle of wine.  On past walks we have had to buy our own wine. We had a chat at dinner with a delightful American couple who were having a return trip to France after 43 years and were wondering why it had taken them so long. We joined them in having an armagnac to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.

Hilary bought four postcards, put the address labels on, we wrote on them and she posted them. Then discovered the stamps in her bag. Oh! The next morning Hilary walked up to the post office rehearsing the French. The postmaster understood and retrieved the letters from the box. Relief.

We did a loop walk around St Emilion past neat rows of vines heavy with grapes at the bottom. Harvest should start next week, but there has been so much rain the harvest has been delayed.

We were taxied to the second accommodation, a gite [self catering is offered] where our hostess cooked dinner. On the way to dinner at 8pm, we noticed the collection of rugby plaques and action paintings on the walls. The first course was foix gras souffle served with a sweet white wine, the second maigret [duck] with potato and ceps served with red wine and dessert was apple slice. In between each course we got rugby tales associated with Australians from our host in a fairy thick accent. When we declined coffee, he commented that he wouldn't be able to tell us another rugby joke. We said he could tell us at breakfast.

When Geoff asked about wifi access he was given a network cable to plug into the power point. The walls of the building are so thick the wifi would not get through, so the house power wiring is used as the communication link to the modem. It worked better than the very slow wifi we have had.

In our walk around the garden in the evening, we had noticed lots of fruit trees – figs, apples, blackberries, raspberries with fruit ripe and on the ground, except for walnuts. In the morning madame said she used all she could in jams and cooking. We took figs and apples for the walk.

The long walk [18km] was through different, steeper farming land with crops of sunflowers, corn as well as vines, and in and out of forests. Lots of guard dogs barking to show the master they were working hard. We think 15km would have been better, and a bit less bitumen. Into Caudrot where were were given a welcoming aperitif of the area's sweet white wine. A wonderful meal was served and we had a great discussion about cooking and using different herbs including lavender in the strawberry jam. Airbus was mentioned and madame said that at 10pm every Monday a convoy of Airbus parts set off from Langon nearby for the two night drive to Toulouse. There was a 35km break in front and behind. The convoy takes back roads and in some villages there is very little room even though the tail part is tilted at an angle. Alternative routes are advertised for other road users.

We walked along the river Garonne mostly through poplar plantations and some corn crops. The corn was far too ripe for human consumption. We wondered what was going to be done with it. We stopped to look at the locks where the Canal du Midi enters the Garonne.

To St Macaire where we will have two nights. We requested a second night to have a slow day and wander around town at our own pace. We got a town map from the Office du Tourisme and found that while the information was in French, the street names were in Langue d'Oc. [Semi-official language until 1539.] Most of the street signs were in French and in Oc, but the Oc on the street signs didn't necessarily agree with the map. Fortunately the town is small. The ramparts and ancient gateways are impressive.

The village bells ring the daylight hours twice each time. Then the faint church bell comes in five minutes later and gives the chimes again. The village bell also chimes the half hour except at 7.30am when it rings as if there is a fire. No chance of sleeping in here.

We did a loop walk from St Macaire up to Verdelais a pretty village up the hill. There was a fair bit of bitumen walking on quiet roads with views of vineyards, tall cypress trees and stone building. We had some very pretty forest tracks past rushing streams and over stone bridges. We walked part of the way with a couple from Wollongong who had started the tour a day behind us. The day was very hot, for a break so we sat on a ground cover of mint on a hillside in the shade of a large tilleul.

For the last walk we walked beside the river Ciron and through tiny villages and hamlets in the valley. Many of the country lanes roads had stone walls beside them. The Ciron starts with a very cold spring, which when joined with the river Garonne causes mists and creates the unique climate for wine growing in the Sauterne and Barsac appellations. We had a little rain, but the cooler day made the walking more pleasant.