Travels

Out and about France.  I don’t think I said much about the trip to the West coast of France.  I have been looking at the map and seeing areas that I haven’ visited yet.  La Rochelle and Bordeaux leapt out at me.  La Rochelle so reminded me of a Southern California beach town.  Which in a way it is.  The two famous towers that guard the harbor.  Climbed one, the other closed.  http://www.francethisway.com/places/la-rochelle-towers.php

I enjoyed wandering around.  Even took a cruise out to Fort Boyard on a very choppy and windy day!  I was glad I accidentally picked the larger boat for my trip.  Clearly, it wasn’t tourist season – no more than 12 of us on a boat that can fit over a hundred.  Fort Boyard is a fort just built in the middle of the water.  Well, I did see a rock or two peeking out, so I assume there was something to start on.  There was also a famous French TV show called Fort Boyard – I know this because every- yes – every French person told me this when I said I went there.

Then the train to Bordeaux.  Now I am becoming a drinker of red wine, but only light reds.  Chinon, Brouilly.  And Bordeaux is known for the strong reds.  Still.  I took the train to St Emilion, famous medieval town and center of a wine region.  I loved this town and highly recommend it.  And thanks to a reader who went there on a tour and recommended it to me.  I climbed three towers that day and took a wine tour with the Tourist Office.  Another recommendation – always check out the tourist office site on line before going there.  I found this great tour in English for the morning and a tour of the underground church in the afternoon – also in English.  I was going to walk from the station but it is a bit of a hike.  The Tuk-Tuk came by and I caved.  And took them back also.  Which was a very good idea because at the winery I purchased two bottles of wine – a rose that was not labeled Fronsac (where it was located) but Bordeaux because of all those strict Wine rules.  And a delightful red that was not too strong.

I did the bus tour around Bordeaux the next day and was pretty much done with the city.  I think I enjoyed St Emilion so much that Bordeaux suffered by comparison.

The g(yes, small g)ods Are Watching

 

Was it the Greek or Roman gods who would become jealous of a man’s prosperity so that when something good happened the people would shout to the heavens how terrible things were. Just to keep the gods from coming down to see if they wanted to take for themselves the new prosperity or child or whatever.

I think they read my blog about silence. After posting and doing my train research, I decided to go to the SNCF Boutique to purchase my tickets – better chance of NOT getting stuck in a club four seating arrangement. And on the door to the entry is a notice. On Monday Sept 18 there will be construction in Building B to replace something on the elevator. I think it even said it would go on for 8 weeks.

What??? I don’t know what is worse – that there will be noise again or that building B (I am in building A) has an elevator while I must trudge up three flights of stairs.

At least I will be gone for five workdays on my trip to La Rochelle and Bordeaux. It’s on the west coast of France, an area I really haven’t visited yet, at least south of Brittany. Tickets purchased. Seating ok. Conversation in French went extremely well. I am looking for either a tour van from Bordeaux to St Emilion or maybe I will take the local bus or train. I will check out Rome2Rio later. (Have I told you about Rome2Rio? It’s a cool app and website that tells you how to get everywhere! Even when Google Maps gets stumped by an ocean, Rome2Rio tells you to fly over it!) And tomorrow I may call the office du tourisme and ask about tour companies. I have heard too much about St Emilion to miss it What I heard, I can’t recall. But it has been much discussed.

Maroc is shaping up too, but that’s not til November. Several blogs away.