This was a surprise trip for Dave that I planned without him knowing. We were *supposed* to be riding the a portion of the Camino De Santiago through northern Spain this week, which would have involved mountain biking 45+ miles each day for 8 consecutive days......with panniers.......with unpredictable weather......with Dave having done ZERO training. In any case, it would have been amazing (amazingly annoying for me) - but Bordeaux was a pretty OK consolation prize. Plus, Bordeaux is actually along the French section of the Camino De Santiago - so cool. We can pretend we did the Camino.I booked us at the Petit Hotel Labottiere, thank you once again Tripadvisor.com for finding me a unique, awesome place to stay. The Neoclassic hotel building is spectacular, and located just a short 10 minute walk from the city center. It was originally constructed in the 1780's and was painstakingly restored and period-appropriately furnished by the owners over the last 30 years. The hotel portion of the building has only two guest rooms. We felt spoiled all weekend.
One of my favorite pieces in the hotel was a large clock with the god Chronos on the top, the three Fates in the middle, and Bacchus at the bottom. You are supposed to look at the clock and remember that life is short (Chronos), and the Fates can mess with your life and kill you tomorrow, so drink up and enjoy life (Bacchus)! Could ANY single piece of furniture sum up the French outlook on life better than that.
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| Breakfast in the hotel courtyard, yes - it really was that cool. |
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| Getting a personal tour and history lesson with the hotel owner. |
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| Just small part of our breakfast, duck and pork pate - homemade just down the street. |
The city of Bordeaux is gorgeous and didn't feel at all choked with tourists, like Paris or Nice. The architecture is fantastic, and there were lots of old churches so I was happy. What can I say, we ate well and drank well - it is France after all.
We used the Bordeaux cycle hire scheme VCUB to check things out after we got tired of waling. OK urban planning friends, check out these simple bike-friendly upgrades the city has made including dedicated bike crossings, dedicated lanes, and really clear signage. Again, why are we Americans so stupid that we cannot do this.......
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| Along the river after dinner, it was midnight and packed with people enjoying the evening. |
Since I am so awesome, I also booked us a small group 1-day trip into St. Emilion to wine taste. We went to two vineyards; one tiny place, and one larger and much more Napa-Valley-esque. We actually learned a good bit about the Bordeaux wine classification system (complicated) and such during the tour. The larger vineyard was going for a higher classification. As part of this, they have to go completely biodynamic and organic - no small feat when you are talking about a multimillion dollar investment in your wines.
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| Look how happy he is. |
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| The vineyard's first stab at biodynamic practices, and lovely too. |
Our tour finished in the town of Saint-Émilion, which is a World Heritage site. We had about an hour here and it wasn't enough. Yes the tiny town is touristy and crowded, but the whole place is dug out of a giant piece of limestone - come on that is cool. There are churches, underground ruins, wine shops, monastery buildings, and other awesome stuff. Must go back......
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| That church is carved out of the limestone, sweet! |
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| How cute - barf. |
It is a WINE BAR at the FARMERS MARKET. My two favorite things in life put together, and it was packed.
Someone needs to get one of these going in Mountain View at the farmers market. I can barely face the market crowds without wanting to stab my own eyes out. I am thinking a chilled Rosé pre-shopping would really help.
