{"id":67,"date":"2013-06-27T19:30:16","date_gmt":"2013-06-28T02:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/?p=67"},"modified":"2013-08-04T16:36:18","modified_gmt":"2013-08-04T23:36:18","slug":"day-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/day-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 3"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Bordeaux – M\u00e9doc wine tour<\/strong>
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8 am\u00a0<\/strong>buffet breakfast\u00a0Hotel de Normandie<\/strong>\u00a0dining room
\nWe fuel up from the abundance of excellent choices to prepare ourselves for the full wine day ahead.<\/p>\n

\"BordeauxMedoc3\"\u00a0 \u00a042 miles\/68 km<\/p>\n

9 am<\/strong>\u00a0Guided panoramic bus tour along the mythic Route des Ch\u00e2teaux wine road through M\u00e9doc\u00a0go<\/a><\/strong>
\nA vast wine growing region surrounds the city of Bordeaux. Since Roman times wines produced here have been known worldwide for\u00a0their excellence. Today we\u2019re off to see these famous growing grounds and renowned chateaux first hand and up close.\u00a0Our big comfortable bus leaves conveniently from the Tourist Office just across from our Hotel Normandie. With\u00a0some 30 others we go to taste wine and explore the Medoc and Haut Medoc wine areas north of the city.<\/p>\n

Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric\u00a0Bechir, a dark curly haired young Frenchman with English skills, is our charming guide. He knows the vineyards, wines and growing areas\u00a0around Bordeaux well. The ride along the left bank of the Gironde River is a pleasant 40 minutes. Winding along 2-lane country\u00a0roads, we ride through a rather flat landscape of vineyards separated by patches of growing fields, occasional grazing cows, and\u00a0small villages.<\/p>\n

1st stop: Chateau Reverdi which is not your traditional 18th century chateau. The one story stone structure surely began life in\u00a0another role. Colorful annuals in a formal arrangement surround the entry creating an inviting casual feel. The rustically elegant\u00a0tasting room is spacious. Wine glasses, cheeses and bread have been set out on two round, cloth covered tables. We taste two\u00a0vintages (2007, 2010) from their Appelation Listrac-Medoc Controlee, as the winemaker herself introduces the wines and relates her\u00a0tasting notes. Bordeaux wines are almost invariably blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.\u00a0Chocolate is introduced with the second wine. It is a local product, \u201cSarments du Medoc\u201d, described as Chocolat Noir Pur Bueurre de\u00a0Cacao. Definitely a take home item. After a short visit to the barrel room we purchase wines and are off again to our next winery.<\/p>\n

2nd stop: Chateau Lanessain, in Appelation Haut-Medoc, is very different \u2013 much larger, with a historic home, many 1 and 2\u00a0story outbuildings, greenhouses, formal gardens, horses and carriages. Our guide leads us to a high point to view the grandeur of it\u00a0all before we walk through the vineyards to see the rocky soil these grapes find so appealing. Many mementos, past awards, relics of\u00a0the trade and history of the Chateau are on display as we walk down into the stone tasting room. It\u2019s a massive room, the lower level\u00a0of a two-story building. There is a large fireplace with seating on one side, a long wooden bar across the room and behind glass doors\u00a0at the end, the aging room. Several wines are offered. Our favorite is the 1985 Delbos Bouteiller.<\/p>\n

Returning to Bordeaux we drive through a beautiful country landscape populated by marvelous castles\/chateaux, including the\u00a0legendary: Ch\u00e2teau Margaux, Ch\u00e2teau Latour, Ch\u00e2teau Mouton Rothschild, Ch\u00e2teau Lafite Rothschild. Chateau Pichon-Longueville,\u00a0reflected in its pool, is a popular picture taking spot.<\/p>\n

3 pm<\/strong>\u00a0walking tour Bordeaux\u00a0go<\/a><\/strong>
\nA walk to the waterfront and back to stretch our legs feels so good after riding for more than an hour in the bus. There are narrow\u00a0quiet streets to navigate, architecture to study and lovely water views to take in.<\/p>\n

5 pm<\/strong>\u00a0return to hotel
\nTime\u00a0to check e-mail and make a few calls before heading to the Hotel de Seze to meet a friend arriving today.\u00a0We find him in the hotel lobby as he\u2019s departing for his dinner. After a bit of a visit we consider joining him but in the end decide to\u00a0eat simply tonight \u2013 perhaps a burger in the student quarter where quick inexpensive food is abundant.<\/p>\n

7 pm<\/strong>\u00a0we try Quick\u00a0go<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Bordeaux fast food
\nIt\u2019s a clear evening, our last night in town, lots of people are out walking or sitting at cafes. A leisurely stroll in the twilight brings us\u00a0to \u201cQuick\u201d, a fast-food chain whose menu combines McDonald\u2019s and Burger King. It\u2019s busy but the wait is short – very efficient\u00a0production line \u2013 living up to it\u2019s name. The burger is passable but not great, fries aussi.<\/p>\n

stay\u00a0Hotel de Normandie<\/strong>\u00a0go<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>
\nSuch a pleasure to come back each evening to our conveniently located hotel. The room has been freshened – says, Welcome\u00a0Back! There\u2019s a small round glass table with two chairs, our mini-caf\u00e9, set up for us to enjoy a nightcap before hitting the sack.<\/p>\n

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    Bordeaux – M\u00e9doc wine tour 8 am\u00a0buffet breakfast\u00a0Hotel de Normandie\u00a0dining room We fuel up from the abundance of excellent choices to prepare ourselves for the full wine day ahead. \u00a0 \u00a042 miles\/68 km 9 am\u00a0Guided panoramic bus tour along the mythic Route des Ch\u00e2teaux wine road through M\u00e9doc\u00a0go A vast wine growing region surrounds the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1031,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67"}],"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=67"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funoftravel.com\/bargecruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}