October 17 - Bordeaux & Sailing To Bourg

Day 3:  Historical Bordeaux & Sailing To Bourg

Before I start the stories from today, two things I must tell you.  First - it is WELL worth the time to read the final story of the day at the bottom of this journal entry as I introduce you to Anneli and Rita who I had dinner with - they are 87 and 88 years old!  Quite the tale.  And the second thing I'll tell you as an introduction was that one of the great things about so many of my adventures is that YOU NEVER KNOW what the day will bring.  As I started my day today I was thinking that I'd very few photos and very little to share at the end of the day.  But in the end, today has more photos than any day to date!  And perhaps the most intriguing story (Anneli & Rita)!  Enjoy....

The cruise begins!  Finally!  While I enjoyed Bordeaux, and most other guests I talked to agreed with me, I was oh-so-happy to be on a ship that was actually sailing somewhere rather than stationary at a dock in one city for three days.  But, to be fair, the itinerary was changed due to the weather and water levels, AND we did see and do everything that had been promised.  We began the day by taking the city tram into the city center and then headed into the historical district, which we'd not been to yet.  The first thing pointed out to us, before we even boarded the tram, were the buildings directly across from the ship.  These are the original merchant shops of Bordeaux where the shops were on the ground floor and housing above.  But the fell into disrepair and were literally black with dirt with warehouses lining the riverfront until the last five years when a total city renovation has taken place.  The warehouses were removed, the property levels soared, and there is new life on the waterfront!  The highlight of the historical district was St. Andrew's Cathedral which was originally built in 1096 - that portion is in the first photo below.  For the next two centuries additions were built on.

We walked down many "Rue de....." or avenues of Bordeaux and most were straight as an arrow because they were originally laid out by the Romans!  At one point we were standing above the ruins of an ancient Roman Forum (in the square in front of the opera house) - though we obviously could not see this under the street/square.  But near-by we saw the remains of some Roman columns.

The last thing of note were on many of the buildings were the "mascarons" - not to be confused with macaroons which you eat.  A mascaron is a carved/engraved figure of a head/face that lies under nearly all the balconies.  And apparently it was a common practice to NOT have someone of fame under your balcony, but just anyone.....yourself, your wife, your baker, etc.......  The last "significant story of the morning" was a major step outside my comfort zone.  The tour ended and we were given 45 minutes of "free time."  Which I detest.  So we were given the option to head back to the ship on our own.  I never leave the tour, even under these kinds of situations.  But hey.....I'm traveling solo, I'm drinking my wine without ice, so why not.....I double-checked with the guide and headed out on a three mile walk back to the ship!  Made it, and wasn't lost a single time.  OK.....all I had to do was follow the street for three blocks where it ran into the river, turn left and keep going to the ship.  But for me, this was a major step "outside the box"  Horray for me!

After lunch we pushed off from the dock and began sailing on the Garonne River.  Now THIS is one of the main reasons I returned to Europe - to cruise on a European river.  Interestingly, at lunch I joined two couples and while I was on the upper/sun-deck (for over two and a half hours enjoying the views) the two men asked if they could sit with me and we spent the majority of the time talking and enjoying the cruise together.  It was very interesting that for the first half of the cruise it was very chilly, but when we came to the bend in the river and doubled back towards Bourg the change in direction cause the breeze to stop and it was actually quire warm for the last 45 minutes!

A great deal of the time it was just a very quiet, peaceful cruise with very little to see but trees.  But there were several large homes and chateaus along the way - the "best" of which I photographed......

About 4:45 we arrived at the town of Bourg - our "home" for the evening.  Several of us were standing together along the rail and we remarked about how really cool it is to look at the medieval walls which surround the city and consider the people who have stood there over the last several hundreds of years and looked out on this very river.  The stories those walls could tell!

And so now we come to THE story of the day....Anneli (on the right below) and her gal-pal Rita.  If you have been reading my journals you remember that yesterday I joined an elderly lady for dinner but then she discovered her traveling companion was already at another table and she left - but I had a great evening when the five people next to me asked me to join them.  So this evening I found two of the three ladies who were traveling together and asked to join them.  Soon after, two elderly women, one of which was the lady who'd "left me" joined us and the two ladies I was sitting with knew these elder stateswomen and enthusiastically asked them to join us.  Anneli is originally from Finlad but now lives in Surrey, England.  Rita was born and raised in Great Britain and now resides in Nottingham - no, she doesn't know the sheriff - I asked!  They met some twenty-odd years ago on a cruise, randomly and began a friendship that has carried them into their senior years, long after both their husbands have passed away.  Well, these two ladies are my new heroes!  At ages 87 and 88 they not only are on THIS European cruise but they have literally been EVERYWHERE!  Russia, Egypt, Alaska, you name it (trust me, I asked) and they've been there and have stories to tell.  What rich lives.  And you think they are slowing down?  No .... they are currently planning their next trip to, get this.....Antarctica!  I now have a hero's life to aspire to.  I can only hope that nearly thirty years from now I am still traveling internationally like these two!  We closed the restaurant down again.  And as a footnote, they were so interested in my life as an educator and the stories I shared about my teaching career - many compliments about how important and unappreciated teachers are.  Coming from them meant a lot.  What a wonderful way to end the day!

Tomorrow is the first "optional excursion" day where you can either stick with the "low-key" included excursion or choose to pay for an additional experience, which is what I did for tomorrow.  I will be joining a Viking-only excursion where we are invited into a grand château for an exclusive insider’s tour and a delicious lunch. The Château Siaurac, which has been in the Guichard family for generations, since 1832 - during a walk among the vines, we should see the grape varieties grown here and learn how to tell them apart. Then we join our hosts for a private tasting in the cellars to see where the wine is aged. Afterward, we will enjoy a casual lunch of local delicacies, a carefully prepared meal accompanied by a glass of wine from the château’s cellars.  Then it's back on the bus and we tour the medieval town of Saint Emilion.  The "all-call" to get on the bus comes at 8:00 am so it's an early day, and a LONG day tomorrow!