Beaujolais Wine Region

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Day 7 (4): Today we hung out in the rural area of France. Okay fine, we got lost on our way to the "Top of the World." My goodness, the hike was steeper than I thought... thank goodness I wore my tennis shoes! Some girls wore flip flops (or thongs). Most of those girls didn't go all the way to the top and just came back down to have their lunch. After breakfast, our 6 person group headed out to reach the top where it supposedly had the best view of the Beaujolais Wine Region. Each group got a lunch basket that consisted of two baguettes, some water and some apples. (or at least that's what we thought). My group got separated and I just walked really slow with Dan (man, everyone on tour walks really fast). We followed a map... but made a wrong turn. Most of the group had gone the wrong way, but a married couple and their friends went up the right way (I saw them go up the right road, but I didn't stop and think about it). Well, at least I didn't go as far as some people. However, since Gun, the guy holding our lunch basket, had gone further down the road, Dan ran down and told him to go the other way. The rest of the group came back and finally we headed off in the right direction.

However, Dan and I went ahead and went into the little town... and not up the right rocky path. Haha, it took us another 10 minutes before we finally went up the orange steep rocky path.

Strenuous.

I hadn't hiked in a long time. And definitely not for that long of a time. About 30 minutes more of hiking up the 'mountain', we had past the hut and the Tower and a snail and its slime trail. 😊

We reached the top... yay!! Finally I could have lunch. The best part was there was also cheese, tomatoes, jam, butter, and meat to go with the sandwich. That made me happy. 😊

The view was much better before actually reaching the top. At the top, there were bushes blocking half of the view (it was not a 360 degree view). Another thing was it was midday, so it didn't have a beautiful sunrise or sunset to go with it. Oh well.

Because in my Gap black backpack, I brought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. And yes, I read it there.

After an hour, the group decided to leave. Most people had left before Dan and I went down the mountain. The hike that took us 1.5 hours to go up only took 40 minutes to get from the top to the Chateau entrance. Hahahaha. And part of the group took nearly 2 hours to get back because they got lost in the mountain.

That evening, I hung out in my room reading the book. Some others played in the pool while others just sat next to the pool showing off their bodies to the guys.

I also forgot the mention. I was the one of the 'cookies' and Dan was one of the 'dishies.' Australians love to add 'ie' to a noun. Anyway, my job was to set all the tables and serve food to my fellow travelers. Dan's job was much dirtier. He had to take everyone's plate, scrap off all their foods, and place it in the tray for the dishwasher to wash. I know, gross.

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Photos

Too Bright
but look beyond that

Snail n' Trail
Wow, that's a big one!

Closer to the top view
I like this one

Reading HP
Oh yeah... here we are after we ate lunch. My group has left and the rest are still enjoying the "Top of the World."

Dan being silly
and me reading HP :)

Going back
down. But enjoy the view.

Walking down the path
going back down.. yay!

Grapes on Mountain
Wow, people planted grape yards even on this mountain!! Look at that slope.

The Hut
This is the hut that I was supposed to pass. It took us nearly an hour to get here from the chateau!!

Entrance/Exit of the Mountain
This orange rocky path took us 45 minutes to find from the chateau cruix. Wow, it's a bit crazy!! It was first major steep hill we climbed up.

Dan and the Hat
and the flowers :)

FORD
Yeah, even in the Beaujolais Wine Region... there lives a Ford!! :) Right beside it is a Peugeot, a French Car Company.

Another view
of the Beaujolais Wine Region

me
Alright, this picture isn't that great, but it's who's in it that counts. :)

Me again
Yeah, same as the previous description.

Entrance to Chateau Cruix
Finally! We made it back to the Chateau.
The van in the back is filled with bottles of beer. The Contiki Reps are throwing the bottles into a big container so the glass can be recycled.
The Contiki Reps believe that this chateau is haunted. The lights turn on and off, and the doors open and close on its own... dun dun dun!!