Bordeaux

I hosted a group of 10 on an Avalon Bordeaux River Cruise with several days pre-cruise in Bordeaux and three days in San Sebastian, Bilbao and Rioja post-cruise. A fabulous group - some who have known each other for years, some new to group - now personally all my friends! We all had a lot of fun and good laughs. The weather gods were on our side - sunny and warm days with only one day of rain. So fortunate, along with the beautiful fall colors. Being close to the ocean , it was a bit humid.... BUT a perfect micro-climate for the vineyards! If you are considering a visit here, be prepared - it can be quite warm. As a note - not all excursions were about wines and wine tasting. However, Bordeaux is considered the Wine Capital of the World - thus many of the experiences on a Bordeaux river cruise involve wine in some degree.

Pre-Cruise - 3 Days in Bordeaux

I always recommend arriving a day or two prior to the start of the cruise to adjust to the time and reduce any stress should there be any travel delays. Plus additional experiences are easily planned for - which I did for the group. Bordeaux is home to a former submarine base - built during WWII by the Germans as a key facility for their U-boats. Quite the venue, it has been turned into the largest digital art center in the world - Bassin des Lumieres. I was able to see two different shows - The Little Prince and The Pharos of Egypt. Lovely. Another interesting venue - Cite du Vin - a museum and cultural center dedicated to wine themes. We had the opportunity to visit both the permanent exhibition and Via Sensoria, a unique wine tasting experience that takes you through the 4 seasons. While Via Sensoria is only an hour, a lot is packed into this time frame, hitting all your senses while moving through the different seasons. Plus 4 wine tastings! Both venues are fun - the permanent exhibition is very educational and best experienced when you have several hours to meander through.

Day 1: Embarkation, Bordeaux Walkabout and Evening Illumination

The river cruise ships all dock right near city center - a short 10-15 minute walk to the Old Town area. If you'd rather not walk, a tram (located right by the ships) can drop you off right in the center, by the Intercontinental Hotel (bottom picture). We dropped off our luggage before noon and strolled around town the rest of the day. Perfect afternoon along with the evening illumination cruise as a "nightcap".

Day 2: Sauternes Vineyards and Tasting

My excursion today took me south of Bordeaux to the Sauternes region - home of the Sauternes French sweet wine. Beautiful countryside - lovely chateau visit at Siglas Rabaud. Not usually a fan of sweet wines but these were quite good - better than expected. The winery, to help make ends meet, also has a bed and breakfast. This was a theme across many of the wineries. They are very expensive to run - thus many are now no longer family run and are owned and run by major corporations. Sad to see this as there was a distinct difference, in my opinion, between the character of family run and corporations. That said - both still fabulous experiences.

Day 3: Fort Médoc - Panoramic Drive and Wine Tasting

This morning we enjoyed a short walk to Fort Médoc, a fort dating back to 1689 and a UNESCO site. It was part of the defense system to protect Bordeaux from enemy ships sailing on the Gironde. A small fort, word has it that the soldiers assigned here weren't exceptionally happy... quite the boring assignment. Thankfully they had a pub! While the walking tour was quite short, we were treated to a number of local specialties - fresh oysters, savory macrons and Médoc wine. Not usually a fan of raw oysters but I do recommend these! The local honey was also delicious.

In the after we enjoyed a scenic drive through the famed Médoc wine country, home to the wine-growing villages of Pauillac, Margaux, Saint-Estèphe, and Saint-Julien. We saw a number of Premier Cru classé properties hailing from this region: Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour, and Château Mouton Rothschild, along with many beautiful vineyards along the way. We stopped at Chateau Lamothe-Bergeron for a wine tasting. Quite the estate. Those who took the biking excursion this afternoon were treated to closer looks at the many beautiful chateau in the area (plus a chocolate tasting). Amazing pictures - much better than mine from the bus.

Day 4: Blaye

Another two excursion day. This morning we visited the lovely citadel town of Blaye. Blaye has a long history, dating back to the 700's. In the 17th century, the citadel, also a UNESCO site, was part of the three fortifications - Citadel of Blaye, Fort Pate and Fort Medoc. The fortress is still well preserved - a bit touristy (with shops and cafes) but because of the season we had no crowds. Prior to walking through the fortress we were treated to a 10am wine tasting! Seems early BUT we were told that the best time to taste wines is between 10am - noon.... thus the reason you can never get a hold of wine buyers between this time frame. Your senses are at their peak. Staying with this reasoning - a great excuse to taste at 10am! Beyond the tasting we were treated to an experience with local entrepreneurs Leslie and Clarissa, who hail from South Africa (Clarissa was born in Germany but grew up in South Africa). They came to Bordeaux for different reasons - met in Bordeaux and now have a winery, wine shop and bar, art studio and gallery, accommodations and are in the process of refurbishing a boutique 5* hotel. Quite the characters - we toured all of the above with glasses of wine in hand (4 tastings!), added to Clarissa's community art project and got to see to Leslie's vintage cars. The cars and art studio are house in what used to be the stables. Quite the memorable adventure.

Day 4: Bourg

In the afternoon we had a wonderful walking tour in the Citadel town of Bourg (pronounced Boor - no "g"), located on the Dordogne just before it merges with the Gironde River. A picturesque town, it sits on the cliffs above the river. Part of the tour included a visit to the carriage museum and the underground cellars leading to the river.

Day 5: Saint-Émilion Walking Tour with Wine Tasting

Saint-Émilion is one of Bordeaux's must-see wine-growing towns and UNESCO World Heritage site. A quaint medieval town, it has over 2000 years of history. While very touristy (especially in summer months), it is worth the time to wonder the town, taking in the interesting architecture, multitudes of shops, underground galleries and of course the wine shops (with tastings). We did a wine tasting at a chateaux prior to a quick walking tour. While the tasting was fun, I would recommend the walking tour with free time. Those who didn't have an afternoon event could stay even longer with a late afternoon shuttle back to the ship.

Day 5: Libourne Wine Blending Class

This blending class was held at La Dauphine - a nice estate that sits next to the chateau shown below in the first picture. This chateau is not part of the property and is actually privately owned with family members enjoying it frequently throughout the year. The vineyards shown below are part of the La Dauphine estate.

The class was one of my trip highlights - so much fun. AND I learned quite a bit. We started off if a brief walk of the estate and saw how the wine was was made (quite modern equipment). In the classroom we learned what effects the taste of the grapes - same grape grown in different terroirs makes a big difference in flavor, as does the type of grape - some being bolder than others. We were given 3 different bottles to use as part of the blend - Cabernet Franc and 2 Merlots grown in different terroirs. I and these two characters below (first picture) blended five different versions.... we'd actually keep 2 of them!

Day 6: Bordeaux

The included excursion today was a city walking tour and tram ride. Since we had done this on our own the afternoon of embarkation day, we skipped the tour and did our own thing. The highlight: Bordeaux Farmer Market that was set up right by the ship. We were here on a Sunday - not to be missed if your timing coincides. A lot of fresh foods and local items for purchase. We purchased some fresh olives, tapenade and crackers to enjoy with a bottle of wine - nothing more relaxing than sitting on the top deck enjoying local foods. I also found local herbs and salts. The honey was quite good as well. Oyster lovers were in heaven. Later we walked into town and actually "ran" into the tour... as we were enjoying a local beverage!

Day 7: Day Trip to Arcachon

Our only rain day. We first visited an oyster farmer (Arcachon is a fishing town and well known for their oysters) - learned a lot about how oysters are grown. Never knew it took over 3 years to grow an oyster, plus the amount of work that goes into it. Now I understand why oysters can be expensive. Pictures below show how they are first grown on a sand and paint covered piece of tile; then once big enough transferred to a mesh bag - first ones hold about 1000 oysters, then as they grow they get transferred to other bags with fewer oysters - the ones about to be harvested have around 50-100 per bag. A lot of love and labor go into farming the.

While the rain dampened and shortened our walk around town (pun intended), it was nice to see the beach and a few sites. Plus we were rewarded with one of the best lunches I've ever had on any excursion. Others who did not chose this excursion had the option to visit Cite du Vin or Bassin des Lumieres.