All's well that ends well

---

On my train ride to the Bordeaux region this morning, I finished reading Into the Wild. The book is a non-fictional account of the events leading up to and after the tragic death of Chris McCandless. McCandless was a brilliant young man, who, after graduating from college, abandoned his family and took on a nomadic life of his own. He eventually made his way to Alaska and attempted to live off the land in the summer of 1992. He failed.

After reading the book, I couldn’t help but compare myself to McCandless. While there are many differences - McCandless was much smarter, he seemed to face the unknown with less apprehension, he clearly had some mommy/daddy issues and I have no desire to abandon all and set off as a nomad - I saw my adventurous, idealistic, headstrong, introverted/extroverted, meaning- and variety-seeking self in him.

While it’s by no means the same, as I would suspect that I’m not putting my life on the line, this journey has been a trip into the wild. Sure, I don’t need to scrounge for food, rely on hitchhikers and I’m by no means starving, but the same attributes have been necessary to survive and prosper - resilience, adaptability, resourcefulness, deduction, enthusiasm, resolve.

The “wild” I’ve entered is a different place, where nature communes in a different way - one I don’t understand. There is no comfort zone. Everything is new. All must in some way be overcome, or failure - in this case a worthless experience - becomes inevitable.

The biggest challenges I’ve faced in this land have been cultural and communication barriers. The two are definitely interrelated as my lack of cultural comprehension (mainly when dining) has certainly come about on numerous occasions and the inability to communicate with ease has made it more difficult to overcome that problem.

I’ll dispel a myth right here and now - most French people do not speak English well, if at all. Many have a very basic understanding of the language. But if their understanding of English makes them conversive enough for Americans to conclude they universally speak French, then millions of kids my age who watched Maria on Sesame Street as kids probably possess about the same skill level in Spanish.

The trip down to Blaye, the town in which I’m in within the Bordeaux region of France, was largely uneventful. This was surprising given my uncertainty with the route. I knew getting to Bordeaux (the city) would be fine since it’s a direct train ride from France. But I thought the remaining 45km would be a bit trickier. Yet I had little trouble deciphering the tram system in Bordeaux city, making a connection to get to the bus station (station is used liberally as it was just a concentrated series of stops along a parking garage; I had some minor trouble finding this and couldn’t ask many people effectively), taking the bus to Blaye and finding the Villa St Simon bed and breakfast.

The biggest problem was that yet again that train pass I bought wasn’t accepted. When I bought that thing I’d like to think I did as much as I could to understand how it works. But the marketing folks at Rail Europe did a number on me. Sure, they disclose that some trains may have a surcharge, some may require a reservation (with a fee, of course) and using the pass is subject to availability. But, based on what I’ve witnessed thus far, I’d say their word choices border on inaccurate. The words “most”, “likely” and “very limited usability” would be much more accurate.

For instance, yesterday I tried to reserve my seat on the train to Bordeaux online. $18.00. Then you get to the checkout and all of a sudden it’s actually $30.75. Apparently the e-ticketing process is that much of a hassle that this must be required. Or it’s just another undisclosed “profit center”. What’s worse is they snuck it in there where many probably don’t even notice it until it’s too late.

Then, after all that, the online system doesn’t work. So I have to deal with it at the station. I get to the station and they’re sold out of spaces. For all the trains today. In a matter of hours, 10+ trains all went from having passholder seats to all those seats succumbing to the subject to availability clause. Why? Because they only have 10-20 passholder seats per train. 10-20 seats on trains that hold, what, 300 people? And, for that service that I can’t use, I’m spending $25+ a day. I would classify that as a major ripoff.

It’s these types of things that make me glad that I am no longer in the business world. And it’s these same things that make me never want to go back. It seems as if there are more lawyers, marketers, managers, analysts, “back office” and other byproduct workers (like I used to be) than there are actual inventors, innovators, entrepreneurs and Joe-the-barber types. My idealistic self hopes that some day I’ll experience a progressive step backwards.

Nevertheless, I made it to Villa St Simon this afternoon. Yesterday I asserted that “this whole Bordeaux thing better be worth it”. Well, it is. The Villa is in the small town’s center, near a few restaurants and the tourist office. The vineyards are all out in the countryside but appear to be within a few miles. I passed many of them on my way in.

The Villa’s attendant tonight, a man named Jules, met me when I arrived. He’s a 50-something British ex pat who moved to Bordeaux for change after something went wrong in England. I get the sense it may have been a divorce.

Jules showed me to my room and then we took a tour of the place. First stop - kitchen. “You want a beer, mate?” “Yes, yes I would.” “Here you go. Help yourself to as much as you like.”

There is also a small table for dining and games, located in a room with numerous bookshelves. Many of the books are in French but there are a few in English I’ve been meaning to read. I probably shouldn’t start one, though, since there’s no way I’d finish it before I have to leave. Unless I don't go. I like this area.

In the dining room, there are more bookshelves along with a few tables for all the guests to enjoy breakfast in the morning.

Most notably, there is a wine cellar where the host will do tastings with the guests. As the Bordeaux region is known for some of the finest wines in the world, there is no shortage of reputable wine in the basement. When I was looking at the collection, Jules showed me one bottle that is served at the palace in Versailles. It was from one of 14 vineyards that Louis XIV gave his seal of approval to back in the late 1600s. Another was one that a well reputed wine connoisseur denoted as his favorite type.

The guests are on an honor system and can help themselves to any of the bottles, They just need to chip in about 15 euros each. For any bottle. Not super cheap but 15 euros ($20+) for some of the best wines in the world. That’s not bad. I’ll be partaking tomorrow. I think we have a group tasting tomorrow night.

I walked around Blaye a bit this evening, taking in the views from the top of the Citadel (the high point) and in a nearby park. I dined on moules frites (mussels and fries) at a restaurant Jules recommended.

The town isn’t action packed and I might have already exhausted the town’s sights. But vineyards and wine tasting is why I’m here. And that’s what’s on tap for tomorrow.

---

Photos

Wine country
Passing through Bordeaux wine country on the bus.

Blaye
A view of Blaye from the Citadel.

The bay
Blaye sits along a bay, which is seen here from the Citadel.

Villa St Simon
The outside of my bed and breakfast

Comments

[Phil]

Communication Breakdown
How the hell do you find the time to write so much? It looks like the communcation barrier is getting to you. Funny little comparison of yourself to McCandless.

[Thirsty Hurst]

Response to Phil
Ha ha. Well, I do find a lot of time to think about things when I'm on the train and when I'm doing them. I try not to think "this will be great on the blog" but sometimes it works out that way. I also try and reflect on much of what I do and not just check the box and move on. That's not my style. Something tells me that it's not yours either. It has. But I have been able to persevere. It's a bit of a unique challenge, really. But when I'd come back I'd prefer to absorb a bit more culture by communicating with the locals. Of course I did. I don't mean to suggest that I am him. I can probably equally compare and contrast. But I was surprised to see how much I could compare. We probably all can do this, though.