Day 6 Jun25

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Day 6

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Blaye -Ile de Patiras -Bourg

7:30 – 9 am breakfast
Comes this morning with a view of the peaceful village of Blaye. The town is small – one kilometer long: a collection of mostly one story stone buildings, it has a small population keeping it alive while retaining its tranquillity. Back to breakfast – love these do-it-yourself meals are fun – chance to try new cheeses, enjoy fresh croissants, local yogurt, with specialty coffee, tea or juice. Yum!

Blaye-Bourg  19 miles/30 km

9 am A visit to the Citadel of Blaye go
All aboard our bus, we head out for the Citadel – a French Fortification built in 1689. Vauban, the General Superintendant, constructed more than 300 forts. This design, Bastion and Star configuration, was considered a major war machine improvement. Arranging the Bastions in a “star” layout leaves no dead spots, everything can be seen by the two nearby bastions. 300 years later the fortress walls are still strong and mighty.

We walk through the Porte Dauphine – uphill over a dry moat into a deep tunnel that puts us inside the walls where we meet our local guide. She leads us up to the military exercise area, Place d’Armes, an esplanade overlooking the Gironde estuary. This is our first view of the estuary and the forts built in its defense. Down below at water’s edge we can see the dock and our barge, The Mirabelle.

We view the Clock Tower, tour the walls, end at the ruins of the Castle of Rudel situated on the highest part of the citadel. The castle, built in the 12th century on the ruins of an earlier ancient fortress already located at the top of the natural rocky headland, was integrated into Vauban’s citadel. Our enthusiastic guide takes us into the bowels, a warren of connecting tunnels – carved out of rock by hand! We pass through secret doors and exit at the ground level into what was the troop’s training area. We’ve little doubt about the invincibility of this fortification.

10:30 am tour Chateau Marquis de Vauban Vineyard and Winery go 
Established by the Marquis in 1865 the well cared for property is enclosed by stone walls and elegant wrought iron fences sporting shiny brass pineapple finials. The horse paddock and meadow are bordered on one side by the river. Overlooking his vineyard is the Marquis’ statue. We visit the vines and amazing rocky terroir before going into the building. There’s a very large decorated parlor, windowed on three sides, with a fireplace, elegant seating and huge wooden round table around which we sit for orientation to the chateau and its wine philosophy – prior to visiting the production area. Original concrete vats are still here, though no longer used, to remind us of earlier methods used in wine production. Today steel vats and the latest technology are de rigeuer. Aging is done in barrels stacked and held in a series of rooms. Roses scent the air as they climb the trellis outside the tasting area. Our lovey young lady wine guide offers us tastes of Premieres cotes de Blaye-Bordeaux Superieur – wine grown, made and bottled on the grounds. As we exit, horses and carriage wait to take us back to the barge. Very romantic start to our day!

12:30 pm lunch Mirabelle dining room
Menu
Prawns with cognac
Pork filet mignon with caramelized  honey acacia
Gratin Dauphinois
Tiramisu
wines: • Bordeaux Blanc – Château Marac • Côteaux de Fronsac – Château Lariveau Rouge

1 – 2 pm cruise and navigation Blaye – Ile de Patiras go
As we begin the second course of our lunch the barge cruises slowly toward the Ile de Patiras, one of only two privately owned islands in the Gironde estuary. 2 1/2 miles long by 1 mile wide, it’s famous lighthouse guided ships to safe passage. In the 19th century it was a quarantine stop for ships before docking at various ports in the estuary but legend has it that was once a notorious pirate lair!

2:30 – 4:30 pm visit Patiras Lighthouse and Refuge de Patiras go
Ashore we meet the property Caretaker who takes us to the lighthouse and encourages us to walk up the 311 step spiral staircase to the top. The views – up and down the estuary, across the river toward Pauillac, and over all of this island are extraordinary. A thriving community of 300 people once lived on this island; today there is still a small vineyard but most of the land is used to grow maize.

Recently the “Refuge de Patiras” was built alongside the lighthouse at the north end of the island – a hidden shelter offering de-stressing access to nature, small scale entertaining and cultural events. Lovely wildflowers and many fruit trees surround the refuge. We are invited in, see a film tracing the island’s history and enjoy some local treats. The structure is simple as well as unique: it can be opened to the outside, expanded or made smaller by opening or closing mobile walls offering great views. A boxer puppy, pet and resident, enchants us. He’s playful, friendly, has a gentle demeanor and escorts us back to the barge.

6 pm cocktails and dinner Mirabelle dining room
Time to relax and savor. The music plays, the group gathers, drinks and snacks are served and we recollect the marvelous day we’ve had or grouse mildly about our difficulty in accessing WiFi.
Menu
Perigord salad
trout with chives and vegetables duo
cheeses: Brie de Meaux, Forme d’Ambert
verrine with 3 strawberries
wines: • Premières Cotes de Blaye – Château Les Tours de Peyrat ‘Vieilles Vignes’ • Cotes de Bourg – Château de la Grave Grain Fin

overnight cruise and navigation to Bourg go

Photos
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