Blogs from Saint-Emilion, Aquitaine, France, Europe

Saint Emilion Well yesterday was a quiet one we just walked to the lake etc and took it easy so decided to give you all a day off from reading my blog. So next day we set off to Saint Emilion and Goose was back on form using the map and also his trusty Sat Nav but to be honest until the last bit we were on not bad roads. We stop for diesel and Goose gives me 20 euros to get a coffee - I think if I need 20 euros for a coffee they can go and take a run and jump. Anyway the coffee is from a machine and you needed to use a card so I decided that this was a no no. So I give the money back to Goose who ... read more

Someone asked me yesterday if I wanted to watch the Tour de France in person. The answer is yes, but! Because June and July are hot weather months. And yes, because the trip could be sandwiched with the French Open (tennis) at the start, and Wimbledon at the end. The biggest challenge, other than joining a guided tour, is getting from one venue to the next, since they are not contiguous. Watching on TV over the years, one solution to the rather sprawling location of the routes is renting a motorhome. But as a foreigner, I cannot see driving through the French countryside in a cumbersome vehicle, trying to find a place to park, and a place to view the race. As exciting it is on TV, I think it would be better in person. Why ... read more

Ooh la la!!! What a fantastic day in Saint Emilion. We started our day with a walking tour of the town with our guide, Pauline. This is a very old and very historic town with a lot of stories to be told on Emilion and his miracles. We toured a cave that he lived on as he wanted to live out his life in peace and alone. Below the bell tower we entered the cathedral that was dug by hand out of the stone and is completely below the surface and is the largest underground gothic cathedral in the world. It was in its glory painted with religious drawings but during the French Revolution it was vandalized. The revolutionists scratched the limestone to get to the sulphate from the walls and mixed it to make gunpowder. ... read more

St. Emilion. Continuing eastward through the Dordogne Valley we arrive at the Chateau Soutard Grand Cru Classé (winery), just north of the village of St. Emilion. All the Chateau wineries throughout this region are considered "high end" and the Chateau Soutard was no exception. We were given a tour of the estate and had several samples of their products, which we pronounced as “good.” Carrying on to the village itself we were led through the ancient, cobblestoned streets and entered the Cave of Saint Emilion. Our local guide told us that Frere Emilion took up residence in this cave sometime in the 8th century. His plan was to live a simple ascetic life. Gradually his presence became known throughout the region and pilgrims would visit him for his blessings – or something, I really have no ... read more

K- The theme of our final few blogs is basically going to be the same - ancient and medieval cities, beautiful countryside, local markets and good food and wine. I could really just cut and paste the place names. However, for our own historical record I will continue to blog as accurately as possible. Our first stop after leaving Colondannes was La Rochelle, a seaport on the Bay of Biscay and an important harbor since the 12th century. It is a pretty town with beautifully maintained architecture and impressive fortifications. As we so often do we spent the evening walking around before enjoying a kir or two. We then retired to a traditional French Irish bar to watch Euro 2012 - another great thing about being here was to follow the football in countries that cared ... read more