Au revoir, Bordeaux, et le retour

 On Friday night there was a show at the Bassin des Lumières, a World War II German submarine base whose massive space is used for light projections with music.  These involved Dalí art and Gaudí architecture, something overwhelming to see in a large space.

In the morning, the tour of Bordeaux involved getting from the dock to the city center by tram. The guides distributed tickets to us.  It was a different way of looking around the area where we’d been at the start of the trip.  The Grand Théatre opera house is an emblem of the city.

On our return to the ship and after lunch, we could see interesting streets in the Chartrons area where we were docked.  Here is rue Notre-Dame.

For the morning, we had instructions to leave our bags outside the room at 5.15 for a 6 a.m. bus.  We put the bags out, and the ship had a croissant breakfast available.  We went to the airport in Uniworld's full-sized bus, even though there weren't that many people going at that time.  We got to the airport way early for our 9.15 flight, and were in a grumpy mood while waiting for the counter to open, unclear if the main marked line required us to have our baggage tags printed, and the kiosks for printing them weren't accepting our documents.  Eventually the counter opened and we were checked in.  At this airport it was a short distance to our gate for the short flight to Paris, still not much shorter than the time of the train, which would be preferred if just going to Paris.

It was nice that the short flight included a shortbread cookie.  Anyway, we landed, we had the involved connection at CDG between Terminal 2F and 2E, this time Hall K, which gave a better impression of this airport than I've had before.

On the flight, we weren't able to get the bulkhead seats this time, and were cramped in a row with three on the side.  I'd been feeling congested, had strained breathing, and put on a mask, worrying about the situation, but when we got home I tested negative for COVID and have felt better since then.  On the ship, other passengers had alerted us to severe weather warnings along the East Coast; we did a bit of holding to arrive a few minutes after schedule.  Anyway, on arrival of the flight we had Global Entry, where the kiosks now recognize our faces without our needing to put the passports down, and don't print a receipt; we just flashed our passports to the agent afterwards.  We were just in time for the bus to our home area.

We were home from a good trip.  It was nice to pick up the French scene: fashionable dressing, people out in crowds.  The cruise was enjoyable for the food and drink, giving a mixed impression for being nice to see different places while based in the same room (no need to pack up) while also making for a rushed experience at the stops.

Libourne-St Emilion

 On Thursday we were docked in Libourne, but the day was devoted to St. Emilion, such that there was no lunch onboard.  There was a bus ride of around 25 minutes, and a walk around the hill town centered, for those who could make it, on the Monolithic underground church.  It was impressive, with no photographs allowed inside; here are some outside pictures.

We had the added-price option of a cooking class, at a wine-making chateau just out of town.  It was a good group, and wound up with these dishes.

Risotto with prawns 

Chicken breast, mashed potatoes, broccoli 

Pineapples over panna cotta

Back onboard, we had dinner at the Brasserie, a small space at the end of the lounge for a more easy-going meal.

On Friday, still docked in Libourne, from several options we took a trip out of town to tour a historic flour mill and sample their warm rolls.  In Libourne itself we just had a look at the market.

Adding a picture from dusk last night:

Now, Friday afternoon, with hotter weather, we’re sailing back to Bordeaux.

Cruise continues, many stops

 This cruise is different from the previous one in its scheduling of stops.  On Monday night the ship was docked in Bordeaux, I think mainly so Can Can performers could be onboard.  On Tuesday we woke up with the ship sailing to Cussac-Fort Médoc.  From there once again the docking town was mainly the starting point of a bus tour, this time a panoramic tour of the Médoc vineyard region.  Wine-growing estates are called Chateaux even if the main building is nothing like a castle.  All our rides included narrow roads where the bus needed to do difficult maneuvers.  One place to stop:

Our main stop was Chateau Malescasse.  Pictures from there: 

Rows of vineyards are marked with the grape variety, and the barrels have the 2022 harvest, to be bottled in June 2024.  There was a nice tasting.  Where we drove by estates, there were often many cars parked, because this is Futures Week, when many wholesalers are making purchases. There was oyster tasting by the dock on our return.

In the afternoon, we sailed across the Gironde Estuary to Blaye, pronounced Bly.  I briefly went on shore, and it was the starting point of the tour on Wednesday, Margaret’s birthday.  We had scenic views: this marks where the Garonne and Dordogne meet to form the Gironde.

We got back to Blaye and declined to continue with the fortress tour; we took a look at the outdoor market. 

One view of the ship:

In the afternoon there was a sailing of an hour and a half to get to Bourg, where the stop was just for a few hours.  We could follow the tour leader for a tour of Bourg, which translates to Town and was formerly called Bourg-sur-Gironde, which no longer applies because the “beak” of land has grown out pushing the start of the Gironde downriver, so Bourg is now on the Dordogne.  

It is a small town involving some climbing to get to the picturesque center and a park with a view.

Here our ship is the outer one; this is the first time we needed to cross through another one.

Before dinner we had the reception for repeat Uniworld customers, and a dinner with a birthday cake for Margaret. She says it was a great birthday.  The ship took off for the next stop of Libourne, arriving later tonight.  On the other cruise we found it better for sleep when we sailed through the night.

Nice start to cruise

 On Sunday morning we noted much quieter streets in Bordeaux.

A little more wandering led to other sights: the Cathedral of Saint-André, and the Hotel-de-Ville ( City Hall).

 

This unfortunately is the historic door of the Hotel de Ville, burned in protests in late March.

We left the hotel close to the noon check-out time, and got a taxi to the dock of the S.S. Bon Voyage.  Boarding went well, with lunch ready, and it looks like the start of an excellent cruise.  We used Uniworld at the end of the 2022 cruise season, and are going early in the 2023 season; they have increased their green commitment by offering simple wooden key cards, and encouraging people to have the daily schedules on their phones rather than on paper.

The room was ready before too long, we met nice people, and had a good dinner.  The ship went under the historic Pont de Pierre at the time required by low tide, and we got to the first stop of Cadillac still in daylight.

In the morning, the ship needed to leave the shore and go mid-river for the inland tidal phenomenon called Mascaret.  Then we were bused away from Cadillac to Chateau Cazeneuve, once belonging to King Henri IV and Queen Margot.  It’s interesting for furniture and tapestries, and we sampled Sauternes sweet wines.  Only outside pictures were allowed.

Editing to show pictures from Monday dinner: