Bordeaux, France - Day 3

Happy July 4th to all of you who celebrate Independence Day.

​There is something special about being in France the morning of July 4th since France was very provided supplies arms, ammunition, uniforms, troops and naval support to the Continental Army. The French navy also provided reinforcements and fought the British feel and protected George Washington’s forces in Virginia.
 
Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of Independence Day brings back memories of the July 4, 1976, Bicentennial. We were in Washington, DC that summer working at the University and attended the festivities at the National Mall.

We wanted to mention how fortunate we have been with the overall weather since boarding in Barcelona on June 15. We have missed the heat wave sometimes by days. For example, the temperature we have experienced in Bordeaux has ranged from low 60’s to low 80’s Fahrenheit during our stay whereas in a couple of days the high will hit over 100 degree Fahrenheit.  
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This is a summary of the full day tour we took yesterday.

Our tour guide was Roman.

We departed for the medieval town of Saint-Emillion (a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1999). Saint-Emillion is known for its supberb red wine. However, the area is about wine. It is a unique town, which boasts a history of more than 1,400 years.
 
We enjoyed a private visit and tasting at a chateau in the Saint-Emillion 1st Grand Cru Classe appellation.

We then had at a small, family-run and non-touristry restaurant near Saint Emillion followed by a walk through Saint-Emillion.
 
Our tour also included a private tour of the so-called underground monuments including the former cave and chapel of Saint-Emilion, the catacombs and, especially the unique and largest monolithic church in Europe carved into the stone by monks between the 9th and 11th centuries.
 
The tour also included a tasting of exceptional and rare Saint-Emillion Grand Cru Classe wines at a small, family-owned estate on just 4 hectares.

When we went into the wine cellar, we saw bottles of wines in what they call their library sorted by year. They had some almost a century old dating back to 1929.  

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Last evening we dined at Waterside. The other night we were dining somewhere else when Wiener Schnitzel was on the menu, so we decided to special order it for last evening. Anne Marie had a half portion, and I had the Schnitzel a la Holstein. It was accompanied with traditional garnish and warm fingerling potato salad.

We will share a secret. Each night we have a race to see who can fill the water glass first. Waiter Bryan fills my glass with sparkling water and Waiter Arvin fills Anne Marie’s glass with still water.
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Today's Daily Reflections Program.

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Since today is a partial sea day Waterside is open for Lunch.

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We started off the day as we always do with a fast walk for Keith and later in the morning we both walked. Today is also packing day.

We have lot of things to do today as we celebrate Independence Day and sailing with Crystal Cruises. From 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM there are all sorts of events taking place on the pool deck including a sail-away party, carnival games, state fair treats from corn dogs to lobster rolls and at Marketplace a buffet including American Classics. 

Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith