{"id":43,"date":"2013-06-22T19:22:27","date_gmt":"2013-06-23T02:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/?p=43"},"modified":"2013-07-31T08:53:42","modified_gmt":"2013-07-31T15:53:42","slug":"day-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/day-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 9"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cadillac – Castets-en Dorthe<\/strong>
\n<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

7:30-9 am\u00a0<\/strong>breakfast
\n<\/a><\/strong>It\u2019s our last day and we\u2019ve a full agenda. Breakfast mingling is animated with laughter and chatter. Coffee tastes really good this morning and the cheeses are superb. The local yogurt is very tasty – we try to have some every day.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

9 am<\/strong>\u00a0Langon Market
\n<\/a><\/strong>We bus to Langon, home to a large, comprehensive Friday Market located at the edge of town along the riverfront. Parking at a premium so our big bus is at a disadvantage. We circle for a bit, eventually Jean-Michel using his French ingenuity creates a place for us! 4 or 5 rows of shaded tables are arranged with produce. The French appreciate the art of attractive fresh food arrangements and are known to ooh! and aah! over food displays. The baker\u2019s booth has a line forming while serious shoppers fill their carts with produce, meat, eggs and cheese. There\u2019s a garden section with vegetable plant starts, flowers, vines and trees. Live baby ducks and chickens are available for home coops. Local honey and a table of preserves display near a man busy weaving a rush chair seat. Middle aged men gathered in small groups joke and gossip: surprisingly, many men do the family marketing. The food and garden shoppers are an older generation while younger folks check out jewelry, clothing, handbag, shoe and household booths or visit in the nearby caf\u00e9. It\u2019s noisy, vibrant and colorful, truly expressing the French culture we\u2019ve come to enjoy.<\/p>\n

\"CadillacCastetsenDorthe\"\u00a0 19 miles\/30 km<\/p>\n

11:30 am<\/strong>\u00a0visit Cadillac Maison des Vin\u00a0go<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>
\nA combination of ecole, museum and tasting room, the Maison\u2019s well organized displays begin with Julius Caesar and the Roman occupation originating the vineyards of Cadillac. Explanatory panels in English cover\u00a0vineyard\u00a0history,\u00a0AOC\u00a0origins,\u00a0terroir\u00a0diversity,\u00a0vinification\u00a0stages, bottling, and wine aromas.<\/p>\n

In the tasting center we stand around a large table to taste white wines of this\u00a0AOC\u00a0 They are poured and described by an Irish woman studying French. We learn that 70% of the grapes are Semillon, a grape variety with potentially high concentrations of sugar and a thin skin allowing noble rot to develop. When grapes contain at least 225 grams of sugar per liter, have begun to dry out on the vine and become shriveled, the golden-colored berries are picked by hand. The resulting wines range in color from light golden to deep amber, with fruity aromas (apricot, citrus), floral (honeysuckle, honey, acacia) and spicy (vanilla). The sweetness of aroma and sugar content are balanced by the wine’s acidity. The wine must have a minimum alcohol content of 12% by volume. Wine can be enriched but the potential alcohol content can\u2019t exceed 19% by volume. This is wine you can age if you can keep yourself from opening the bottle!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

12:30 pm<\/strong>\u00a0lunch on board\u00a0Mirabelle<\/strong>\u00a0dining room
\nMenu
\nNi\u00e7oise\u00a0salad
\nquail stuffed and cauliflower mousseline
\ncreme br\u00fbl\u00e9e
\nwines: \u2022\u00a0Bordeaux – La Rose Vimiere ‘Eymerits’ \u2022\u00a0Pessac Leognan – Ch\u00e2teau\u00a0Baulos Charmes<\/p>\n

12:30 – 2:30 pm<\/strong>\u00a0cruise and navigation through the locks: Cadillac – Castets-en Dorthe\u00a0go<\/a><\/strong>
\nThere\u2019s\u00a0time to relax and reflect on the morning\u2019s adventures,-\u00a0\u00a0what we\u2019ve learned and enjoyed so much on\u00a0this cruise with friends.\u00a0We pass though a series of locks and most of us go\u00a0out on deck to see the process. Mirabelle slides into the narrow lock which\u00a0surrounds her with high concrete walls. A bit claustrophobic! Water is slowly\u00a0pumped into the lock, we rise up until we\u2019re at water\u00a0level of the next river,\u00a0gates open and we glide forward. Nice and easy.<\/p>\n

2:30 pm<\/strong>\u00a0visit Ch\u00e2teau de\u00a0Roquetaillade \u201cMonument Historique\u201d\u00a0go<\/a><\/strong>
\nThis castle is among the most visited in France. We view it from a distance before walking uphill to see it close-up. Our English speaking guide tells us that Roquetaillade, (means carved out of rock) is a natural defensive site, with roots back in prehistory when troglodyte man took shelter here. Charlemagne built a wooden fortress later replaced over time by stone fortifications. The castle came into existence in the 11th century and continued to be extended until the 14th century. It is an example of feudal architecture \u2013 two fortresses within the same castle walls.<\/p>\n

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We go in to a castle of the movies \u2013 which it has been. We learn about the two restorations. Many Renaissance features were added, windows opened and monumental chimney pieces created in the 17th century. The second\u00a0restoration\u00a0put the castle on the monument historique list because in the 19th century famous French architect Viollet le Duc created unique interior decorations and furniture for the castle. All quite spectacular but the kitchen is our favorite room with its huge walk around stove, bellows, fireplace, copper pots, cooking crocks and other tools of the trade.<\/p>\n

A beautiful day \u2013 blue sky and high puffy clouds as we walk toward the family chapel. Remnants of the old fortifications scattered over the grounds are easily seen. The \u00a0chapel is quite small, all original, still very beautiful but needs restoration. The same family has occupied Roquetaillade for 700 years. They opened it to the public in 1950, probably to help with the considerable maintenance cost.<\/p>\n

5 pm<\/strong>\u00a0visit Domaine Rousset Peyraguey go<\/a><\/strong>
\nClassified Biodynamie AOC Sauternes, Rousset Peyraguey makes sweet Sauterne wines. Biodynamic wines have very balanced sweetness and acidity. They combine strength and finesse, sensitivity and delicacy, with subtle aromas. With vines averaging 50 years old, the Dejean family practices a non-interventionist approach to growing and wine making. They harvest late, with successive manual picking, using old methods and equipment, long fermentation, and aging without yeast, enzymes or glues. The wines are aged in old oak or acacia barrels for 6 years or longer, are never filtered or fined.<\/p>\n

Mother and daughter pour and describe their vintages. We taste at least 5, possibly 6. Colors range from orange to amber and delicious to our taste! Sauterne makes a great aperitif, but is more than that. These wines go well with foie gras and seafood, are a great contrast to strong cheeses and harmonize with bacon dishes. And they are suitable for aging, some up to 30 years. Buy one for a grandchild?<\/p>\n

8 pm<\/strong>\u00a0Gala Dinner\u00a0Mirabelle<\/strong>\u00a0dining room
\nMenu
\ntwo trouts tartare gras
\nduck breart honey sauce and vegetable tian
\ncheeses: Reblochon, Roquefort
\nlemon meringue pie
\nwines:\u00a0\u2022 Bordeaux Blanc – Ch\u00e2teau\u00a0Gayon \u2022 Pomerol –\u00a0Les Columbiers de Feytit Clinet \u2022 Champagne<\/p>\n

Much gaiety at tonight\u2019s Gala and after dinner it continues. We end the evening with many Champagne toasts, laughs, thanks, and hugs.<\/p>\n

Barge cruising – no better way to travel. Unpack once, meet new friends in an intimate setting, enjoy regional cuisine and wines, see the sights \u2013 everything taken care of \u2013 a \u00a0marvelous experience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Cadillac – Castets-en Dorthe 7:30-9 am\u00a0breakfast It\u2019s our last day and we\u2019ve a full agenda. Breakfast mingling is animated with laughter and chatter. Coffee tastes really good this morning and the cheeses are superb. The local yogurt is very tasty – we try to have some every day. 9 am\u00a0Langon Market We bus to Langon, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}